Stephen O’Hagan, 63, psychologist, sea lover

Stephen O’Hagan filled his house with Celtic culture — Irish poems, folk music and other memorabilia.

His son, Mike O’Hagan, admits he suffered through the music growing up.

“As a child, it was cumbersome to listen to Irish folk music and everything else,” he said. “But I grew up to appreciate it. All of this was my father’s way of teaching us our heritage, of knowing where you come from, that sense of community.”

Stephen O’Hagan, 63, of Atlanta died of lung cancer Friday at Hospice Atlanta. The memorial service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill Chapel, which is handling arrangements.

Mr. O’Hagan was born in Queens, N.Y., but grew up in Douglaston, N.Y., near the water. That’s where he developed a love for the sea and boats, a hobby he explored in Atlanta. He was past commodore of the Barefoot Sailing Club at Lake Lanier, where he planned and participated in various sailing events in his 27-foot sailboat. He and his companion, Frances Reedy, took numerous excursions.

“We sailed and chartered boats in Maine, the Florida Keys and the British Virgin Islands,” she said. “We had planned to spend our retirement traveling the Intracoastal Waterway, but he got sick.”

Mr. O’Hagan earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Florida State University. In Atlanta, he joined the Emory Clinic staff and ran a clinic for depression at Grady Memorial Hospital. He eventually started a private practice in Decatur, which he operated 25 years.

He was a forensic psychologist and a member of the National Academy of Neurophysiologists.

In the community, Mr. O’Hagan immersed himself in cultural activities. He was past president of the local Hibernian Society, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and a board member for Theatre Gael. One year he led the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Atlanta.

“He loved all things Irish — music, literature, everything,” Mrs. Reedy said. “With a good name like O’Hagan, how could he not?”

Additional survivors include two daughters, Kristen O’Hagan and Colleen O’Hagan, both of Atlanta; two sisters, Peggy Stabile of Palm Desert, Calif., and Rosemary Nugent of Long Island, N.Y.; and a granddaughter.