A celebration of the life of Dr. Mary Ann Goodwyn of Ruston will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 21 in the large, enclosed pavilion L-6 in Lincoln Parish Park. Marvin McFarland will guide reminiscences of Mary Ann by her friends, colleagues, and students. Dress for the celebration will be casual. Lincoln Parish Park is located just west of State Hwy 33 Farmerville Highway at the end of Parish Park Road, about 3.6 miles north of Interstate 20. Check with the gate attendant for directions to the pavilion. Dr. Goodwyn was born in Dallas, TX on July 27, 1946. After a distinguished career as a psychologist, researcher, and college professor, she died in Ruston on January 13, 2012. Dr. Goodwyn's parents were H. Merrill Goodwyn of Colfax and Alene Thurmon Goodwyn of Ruston, both now deceased. She is survived by her brother, H. Merrill Goodwyn, Jr. and his partner Esther Lu Lazarus, both of Ruston; her niece, Sharon L. Goodwyn King of Cortez, Colorado and her daughters Sera, Skylar, and Samantha; and her nephew, David M. Goodwyn of Lafayette and his daughter Jordan. Dr. Goodwyn graduated in 1968 from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro with a BA in Psychology and again in 1971 from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with an MS in Experimental Psychology. Between 1971 and 1976, she served as an Instructor of Psychology at Chowan College in Murfreesboro NC and then at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison. Between 1976 and 1983, Dr. Goodwyn served as a Research Associate in the Department of Developmental Psychology at the University of Denver, CO, and then as Mental Health Specialist for the Curry County Mental Health Program in Gold Beach, OR. Between 1983 and 1990, Dr. Goodwyn studied Clinical Psychology with a pediatric specialty at the University of Washington in Seattle. While in Seattle, Dr. Goodwyn served as a child development Psychometrist with the Child Development and Mental Retardation Center; a Research Assistant with the Children's Hospital and Medical Center; and a staff therapist for the U.W. Student Counseling Center and the U.W. Suicidal Behaviors Research Clinic. She completed her doctoral program with a one-year internship in Child Clinical Psychology at the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA. Upon receipt of her Ph.D. from U.W. in 1990, Dr. Goodwyn became an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Louisiana in Monroe. In 2006, she accepted a position as Associate Professor of Psychology at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Dr. Goodwyn retired from teaching in May of 2011. From 1996 until her death, she was also a clinician in private practice with Behavioral Health Associates with offices in the Lincoln Parish Museum building. Dr. Goodwyn participated in a number of community service activities including consultant to the North Carolina Outward Bound Program; children's programmer for National Public Radio; board member for the Wilderness Experience Program in Denver, CO; board member for the North Central Louisiana Habitat for Humanity's; and volunteer at the Heifer International Ranch in Perryville, AR. She talked of taking a full time position with Heifer after retirement but her health did not permit that. Her family suggests that a contribution to Heifer would be an appropriate way to honor her memory www.heifer.org. Mary Ann had an innate ability to work with any individual to help them find a clearer picture of themselves and of their direction. She made great use of this ability in her teaching, her practice, her friendships and her work in the community. Upon learning of her death, a long time friend offered a fitting epitaph: “Mary Ann was a good person and did good things for a lot of people. Her presence in Ruston will be missed.” Online codonlences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com