Effingham Smith Deans (1905 - 1986)

Born 1 Feb 1905 in Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom

Husband of Patricia Ruth Miller — married 6 Dec 1951 in Arlington, Virginia, United States

Died 27 Oct 1986 at age 81 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Pierce [send private message]

Biography

Effingham S. Deans was chairman of E. S. Deans and Co., a Danbury manufacturer and importer of sportswear.

Effingham was born in 1905 in Scotland, the son of Thomas Deans and Anne Smith.

He was married to Georgina Sewell, a native of England, on 24 April 1929 in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois.^[1] They were the parents of two children: Robert (1929-2004) and Jean (1933-2007).

He married Patricia "Patsy" Miller Mahin 6 December 1957 in Arlington, Virginia.^[2]

He passed away in 1986 at the age of 81.^{[3] [4]}

Obituary:^[5]

Effingham S. Deans, chairman of E. S. Deans and Co., a Danbury manufacturer and importer of sportswear, died Monday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Stamford. He was 81 and lived on Ocean Drive West in Stamford.

Mr. Deans was born in Glasgow, Scotland, Feb. 1, 1905, the son of the late Thomas and Ann Deans. He spent his childhood in Edinburgh and attended the Royal College of Edinburgh.

He emigrated to the United States in 1921 and worked at a variety of jobs before entering the retail clothing business as a buyer for John Wanamaker in Philadelphia.

He founded E. S. Deans and Co. in 1941 and continued to work there until the time of his death. The company manufactures a variety of sportswear, but is best known for the sweaters that carry the Deans label.

"He was fond of saying that he came to this country with about $40 in his picket and just kept working until he was established," Said Timothy Mahin, Mr. Dean's son.

The company had grown to include its Danbury headquarters and a New York City office and had annual sales of approximately $8 million.

Mr. Deans had lived in Stamford for 35 years.

An avid sailor, Mr. Deans was fond of racing his S. Class sloop, the Royal Scott, on Long Island Sound during the 1950s when he was a member of the Larchmont Yacht Club.

In recent years, he was a member of the Junior Carlton Club and the Caledonian Club in London, the St. Andrew Society of New York and the Stamford Yacht Club.

He is survived by his wife, Pasty Ruth Miller Deans of Stamford and Palm Desert, Calif; two sons, Robert Deans of New Canaan and Timothy Mahin of Pound Ridge, N.Y.; a daughter, Jeanne Schaeffer of Midlothian, Va., and seven grandchildren.

Sources

1. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1968," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q21K-NL17 : 28 November 2018), Effingham S Deans and Georgina Sewell, 24 Apr 1929; citing Marriage, Cook, Illinois, United States, citing Cook County Clerk. Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 102260670.
2. ↑ "Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9J-PGHQ : 20 February 2021), Effingham Smith Deans and Patricia Miller Mahin, 06 Dec 1957; from "Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); citing , Arlington, Virginia, United States, certificate 36365, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond.
3. ↑ "Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZPR-SS1 : 9 December 2014), Effingham S Deans, 27 Oct 1986; from "Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2003); citing Stamford, , Connecticut, Connecticut Department of Health, Hartfort.
4. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKP1-YJQ : 7 January 2021), E Deans, Oct 1986; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
5. ↑ Daily Advocate Wednesday, Oct 29, 1986 Stamford, CT Page: 8.