Donald Carter Hoyt Ph.D.

Delmar-Donald Carter Hoyt, born August 30, 1928, in Albany New York. He was the son of the late Albert and Florence Tanney Hoyt. He attended LaSalle Institute, then earned degrees from the State University at Albany and Siena College; after serving in the Korean War, in which he was awarded the Purple Heart, he earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. After working for many years as a New York State civil servant, he became a partner in Donther Group, a family therapy practice. He was the beloved husband of Mary Fitzgerald-Hoyt, the loving father of Carter Hoyt, Angela Hoyt Miele (Drew), and Patricia Hoyt, his children from a previous marriage. He was the proud grandfather of Andrew Miele IV and Jonah Nakagawa. He is survived by his dear brother, Douglas Hoyt, and was pre-deceased by his half-brother, Albert Hoyt. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Bernard Fitzgerald (JoAnne), and several nieces and nephews. Don was a brilliant man of wide-ranging talents and interests. He loved people, and was a true gentleman who treated those with the least power with the most respect. A lifelong advocate for the rights of women, for the poor, for the disenfranchised, he possessed a strong sense of justice and compassion. He delighted in all creatures great and small, and opened his heart and home to numerous neglected and abused animals. He was blessed with a beautiful singing voice and enjoyed an eclectic selection of music; he was known for bursting into song at the drop of a hat. His irreverent sense of humor and blunt speech enlivened many occasions; he was an incorrigible flirt. A deeply spiritual man, he also enjoyed more earthly gifts: golf, chocolate, and rides in the country. Despite his numerous health problems, beginning with a series of strokes in the 1980s, he bore his disabilities with dignity, humor, and courage, and never failed to make his wife thank God for the day she met him. Don’s kindness to others was reciprocated by those who enriched his last few years: Dr. Michael Wolff, whose skilled care improved Don’s quality of life; the staff at Eddy Daybreak in Cohoes for their many kindnesses; the Sullivan and Olsen families and the staff at Emma Cleary’s Café, who plied him with dessert and good company; Mary’s beloved colleagues in the English Department of Siena College who welcomed him into their hearts: Drs. Pam Clements, Chuck Trainor, Christiane Farnan, Meg Woolbright, and Chingyen Mayer. The Hoyt family is grateful to Community Hospice for the many comforts they provided in Don’s final hours. Funeral services Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 9:45 am from McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen Street, Albany thence to St. Mary of the Angels Chapel at Siena College at 10:30 am where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Relatives and friends are invited and may visit Friday, February 27, 2015 4:00 to 7:00 pm in the funeral home. Interment St. Agnes Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Don may pay his goodness forward by supporting organizations that feed mind, body, and spirit: WMHT, Siena College, the Regional Food Bank, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. To leave a message for the family, obtain directions, light a candle or view other helpful services, please visit www.McveighFuneralHome.com

Tributes

Donald Carter Hoyt Ph.D.

August 30, 1928 - February 24, 2015