Deborah Y. Anderson Of Sag Harbor Dies October 23

Deborah Y. Anderson died at her home in Sag Harbor on October 23. She was 74.

A true native of the East End, on her father’s side she was descended from the Youngs family, who in 1640 were first settlers of Southold, and on her mother’s side a member of the Hand family, whose history on the South Fork goes back to the Revolution.

She was born on September 5, 1946, the daughter of Charles C. Youngs and Dolores Loney. A 1964 graduate of Pierson High School, she studied fashion design and merchandising at the Tobé Coburn School for Fashion Careers in New York. She worked for a time in retail and as an advertising copywriter at J. Walter Thompson.

In mid-life, she changed direction and obtained a bachelor’s degree from Southampton College and a PhD from Union Institute. She taught psychology at Southampton College and, following its closing, as an adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College. While at Southampton, she was involved in retirement planning for women and was co-author of a guide for women following divorce titled “Our Turn, The Good News About Women and Divorce.” She also wrote an academic book titled “Gender, Identity and Self-esteem: A New Look at Adult Development,” which was an outgrowth of her doctoral dissertation.

Her grandchildren were an endless source of pleasure, whether it was attending their school events, sports, or a quiet afternoon baking cookies, her family said.

Ms. Anderson loved to travel, according to her family. She and a friend visited Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia in the early ’90s. In recent years, she and her husband tried to visit a different European city each April.

She was an active member of the Sag Harbor Historical Society, organizing exhibits and acting as a docent.

Her other great passion was gardening, her family said. When the spring term was over, she would go to work setting out dozens of pots along the edge of the patio, which would bloom in rotation from May through October. On summer afternoons, her family noted, she liked nothing better than floating on a raft in the pool, soaking up sun, admiring the fruits of her planting and relishing a good book.

Ms. Anderson was predeceased by her first husband, Douglas Kinna. In 1974, she married Miles Anderson, an attorney, who survives her. Survivors also include her daughter Samantha Culver; her four children Isabel, Charlie, Nate and Sadie of North Haven; and her son Jeff Anderson, and his children Christian and Neve of Mattituck.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Sag Harbor Historical Society or to East End Hospice.