Deane, J. Peter

Jesuit Father J. Peter Deane, dedicated Jesuit for 59 years, died on Dec. 1, 2012, at the Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Mich., at the age of 78. Fr. Deane was a Detroit native born to parents James and Eleanor (Mahoney) Deane on Feb. 24, 1934. He is remembered by many cousins, friends, as well as his Jesuit brothers.

Following his high school graduation from the University of Detroit High in 1951, Fr. Deane attended John Carroll University in Cleveland and the University of Detroit. He entered the Milford Novitiate in 1953. During his formation training, Fr. Deane received various degrees including a BA in literature from Xavier University (1957), an MS in library science from Western Reserve in Cleveland (1963), an STB in theology from West Baden College (1967), and a MEd in guidance and counseling from the University of Toledo (1985).

Fr. Deane was ordained a priest on June 14, 1966, at West Baden College, West Baden Springs, Ind., by John Cardinal Dearden. He professed final vows on May 1, 1976.

His love for literature blossomed throughout his Jesuit career and also during his first assignment at St. John Jesuit High School in Toledo where he served as the school’s librarian (1967-1974). Fr. Deane then moved on to fulfill the challenging but much needed chaplain position in the alcohol rehabilitation unit at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo. “Fr. Deane had a remarkable ministry to people suffering from alcoholism; he also did tremendous work with adolescents in a residential facility near Monroe,” explains Fr. Robert Scullin, SJ, a longtime friend of Fr. Deane. “He really made himself available to Christ’s poor in those ways.”

Fr. Deane went on to serve as a counselor and chaplain in various institutions in the Midwest, putting into practice his degree in guidance and counseling. These ministries include Flower Memorial Hospital (1979-1992) in Toledo; Boysville of Michigan (1995-2006) in Monroe; and Guest House (2006-2007) in Lake Orion, Mich., where he ministered to the women religious.

In 2010, Fr. Deane moved to the Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Mich., where he remained until his death.