Dana Adkins
Dana Adkins Pan, 77, died at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City on July 22, 2024, after complications from a fall and head injury precipitated by Ehrlichiosis, a deer tick disease. Adkins Pan was a well-known editor who worked many years in major publishing houses and later as a partner at Adkins & Phillips Literary Agency.
Adkins Pan was born June 30, 1947, in Akron, Ohio, to the late Travis Blair Adkins and Mae Burke Adkins. She is survived by her husband Robert O. Pan of New York City and Poughquag, N.Y.; a twin sister Dinah Adkins of Portland, Ore.; and sister-in-law Pauline M. Pan of Ann Arbor, Mich. She will be missed by many friends, cousins, and work colleagues.
Adkins Pan graduated from Revere High School in West Richfield, Ohio, in 1965, and from Miami University of Ohio, in Oxford, where she studied American literature and classics, in 1969. After attending the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course at Radcliffe College, Adkins Pan began her career in Boston, Mass., and later moved to New York City, where she was an editor at The Viking Press, and senior staff editor at Reader’s Digest in New York City and Pleasantville, N.Y.
Dana Adkins was the beloved wife of Robert Pan; the couple were married in New York City on Sept. 10, 1983. The Pans had no children. They spent many years in the city and at a country home in Poughquag, as well as travelling abroad and in the United States. Adkins Pan was a frequent visitor to museums, the opera, theater, and musical venues.
Her friends described her as a terrific editor, and as a kind, gentle, and generous person who loved books, the arts, people, and her pets. The latter most recently included a smooth collie Phoebe, a Havanese Anna, and two cats, a Tonkinese called Tonky, and an abandoned black cat, Inky, that she enticed in from the woods in winter.
In addition to being survived by her husband, sister, sister-in-law, and many cousins, Adkins Pan is survived by a close second cousin, Naomi Burke, recently of Citrus Heights, Calif., and now of Atlanta, Ga. The family wishes to recognize the loving help of Alfredo Santana who visited her frequently in the hospital and generously provided assistance, and a group of friends who kept Dana in their prayers, hoped for her recovery, and stayed in constant touch with the family during her illness. These include Bruce Trachtenberg of New York City, Barbara Burge of New York City and Millerton, N.Y; Beth Tondreau of New York City and Tarrytown, N.Y; Nancy Mills of Scottsville, Va.; and Maureen M. Kilroy of Akron, Ohio.
A memorial service will be announced for October.
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Viewing Thursday December 18th, 2025 9:00 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. Funeral Mass Church of St. Monica 413 East 79th Street New York, NY 10075 Thursday December 18th, 2025 10:00 A.M. Private Cremation In Lieu of Flowers Donate to St. Jude https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html
Donna M. Hamilton, a beloved mother, was born on December 27, 1943 in Kansas City, MO and peacefully passed away in the early evening of October 31, 2025. Donna’s faith guided her outlook to motherhood and to life. Donna grew up throughout the state of Texas. After graduating high school, her family moved to Washington, D. C. She eventually met and later married Vernon Hamilton (1930-2014); they had three children. Donna enjoyed participating in her church's events, embroidery, watching Hallmark movies, and most of all being with her family and friends. She had a beautiful smile and a kind, friendly personality that was noticed by everyone. Donna retired from New York Presbyterian Hospital after working as a Physician’s Assistant for over 35 years. She worked in the ambulatory surgery and plastic surgery departments, but her passion was in plastic surgery. Donna was phenomenal and highly respected in her field and often would be called upon to help the student physicians. Donna is survived by her three children: Scott, Melody, and Todd, an older brother, John Scott, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her grandson, Hamilton, who lived nearby, was often at her apartment visiting, going to the store for her when it became too difficult, or trying to keep her spirit up. Donna was loving, kind, charming, and unforgettable. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her and she will continue to inspire us all. Two quotes that our mother always told us (and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren): “treat others the way you wanted to be treated” and “do not compare yourself to others because for always there will be greater and lesser persons than you.”
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