Obituary: Thomas Wayne “Wayno” Downey, 86, of Guilford

Obituary courtesy of Guilford Funeral Home:

Thomas Wayne “Wayno” Downey, 86, passed away March 11, 2021. He was the husband and life partner of his high school sweetheart, Joan Helen Rabbitt Downey, for more than sixty years. Born December 12, 1934, in Fitchburg, MA, Wayne was the son of Thomas and Mildred Downey.

Wayne’s life and love was between Guilford, CT and the camp on Branch Lake in Maine.

He began his educational career at Milford High School(‘52), The Hopkins School (‘53), Yale College (‘57), Yale School of Medicine (‘61); continuing education at the University of Minnesota (Pediatrics) and Department of Psychiatry at Yale.

He served in the U.S Army Medical Corps, as Captain Downey, Chief of Neuropsychiatric and Family Services, at General Leonard Wood Army Hospital, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO,(‘66-‘68).

He served in the Army Medical Corps as Chief of Neuropsychiatric and Family Services and was, for 52 years, a Guilford psychotherapist.

Wayne had a 52 year private practice of Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychoanalysis and Psychiatry in his hometown of Guilford, CT. He was a training and supervising Adult and Child Analyst at The Western New England Institute For Psychoanalysis in New Haven. Reaching out to children, adolescents, and adults throughout his career, Wayne developed a creative and innovative style to further his singular goal of improving mental health.

Wayne recently commented that he came to Medical School in the time of the Polio epidemic and retired from Medical Psychoanalytic Practice during the Covid 19 pandemic. (Polioviruses and Flies: Studies On The Epidemiology of Enteroviruses In An Urban Area, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Journal Of Biology And Medicine, T. Wayne Downey,‘63.)

Wayne’s life was filled to overflowing with family, friends, and colleagues. Known as Poppi to his grandkids. Game playing, Collectibles, Political Items, and Auctions were his passion. Wayno excelled at trivia, any subject, he was your man. He was a voracious reader of everything he could put his hands on! His interest in writing was right up there as he developed his career; a poet, critical thinker, the man of words. A big sports fan, playing and watching. Hours were invested in following the Boston Red Sox, supporting UConn basketball, Yale football and basketball, and the NFL. A movie and TV buff, no year of cinematic creation escaped him, from 1930’s movies with his grandmother to Halloween with Sharon and Joe. Music in its many forms from Classical to Jazz was a passion and driving force in his life, starting with tooting his own horn with his trumpet. His connections with the people and the communities he frequented gave him fulfillment in life.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Joan; daughters Sharon Panetta (Joe), and Susan Heston (Bill);grandchildren, Hailey, Kaelan, Brook, and Blake Heston; his loving sister-in-law and sisters, Patricia Downey, Pamela Dodge (Tony), Deborah Afasano (Ray), six nephews, and extended family, Lois and Harry Lutz; predeceased by his son, T. Lincoln Downey, and brother, Richard Downey.

A celebration of life gathering will take place at a later date.

In memory of Wayne, please consider a contribution to one of these organizations or to any program of your choice: The Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis, 255 Bradley St, New Haven, CT 06510 ; www.westernnewengland.org ; Edith B. Jackson Child Care Program, Inc, 405 Canner St, #1, New Haven, CT 06511; www.ebjchildcare.org; Elizabeth Celotto Childcare Center, 181 Mitchell Dr, New Haven, CT 06511; www.parentingstudents.org; Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Office of Development, PO Box 1849, New Haven , CT 06508-9979 ; www.ynhh.org