She was born in Moore County, NC and raised on the family farm near Star, NC. She earned a BS in Nursing from the University of North Carolina in 1964 and worked as a nurse in Gainesville, Florida and Chapel Hill, NC before pausing her career to raise her son in Rockville, Maryland and Greensboro, NC.
She later enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and earned a BS in Interior Design in 1983. Upon moving to Washington, DC that year, she worked as an interior designer for healthcare facilities across North America at Shotwell-Anderson and National Medical Enterprises. She loved living in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, especially the antique stores, bookstores, restaurants, and Dumbarton Oaks Park. While living in Washington she also served as a docent at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
She returned to Greensboro in 1986 and opened an interior design firm. She renewed her nursing credentials in 1993 and relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia where she lived for almost 30 years. She worked for the University of Virginia Health System in several capacities, primarily in inpatient and outpatient hemodialysis. She enjoyed her UVA coworkers and took special care of her dialysis patients, some of whom she treated for years. In Charlottesville she loved her little house in the Lewis Mountain neighborhood, the farmer’s market, and Tufton Farm at Monticello.
Her favorite things were European travel, cooking and enjoying a leisurely meal with family and friends, the North Carolina beaches, her Kerry Blue terriers, and her 1967 MGB. Her love of books, art, and design was passed on to her son.
She was preceded in death by her parents, James Harvey Mashburn and Floma Covington Mashburn. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters Melba Stewart, Gayle Davis, and Marilyn Usher; and brothers James Rozell Mashburn, Paul Mashburn, Harvey Gold Mashburn, Richard Caddell Mashburn, and John W. Mashburn.
She is survived by her son, Patrick Deaton of Raleigh and his partner Clayton Hainline, her brother M. Laine Mashburn, her sister Patricia Mashburn, her former husband Dr. Philip C. Deaton, and many dear friends.
Her family would like to thank her longtime cardiologist in Charlottesville, Dr. James D. Bergin; Dr. Idil Aktan at UNC Health; and the nursing team at the UNC Rex Heart & Vascular Hospital ICU.
A memorial service may be scheduled at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the UNC School of Nursing (go.unc.edu/SONgiving), the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine (cvm.ncsu.edu/giving), or to the charity of the donor's choice.
Arrangements provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.
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