A Large Yet Quiet Legacy

On September 24th, 2023, Dr. Mada Hapworth passed away peacefully. She had recently celebrated her 79th birthday.

Mada was born on August 30th 1944 in New York City. She received her BA from Boston University, her master's degree in psychology from New York University and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University.

For 40 years she practiced psychology, initially at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, where she met her husband Dr. William Hapworth, and later for the majority of her career as a partner in the business they launched together, The Hapworth Centers located in Midtown Manhattan. Her profession demanded tremendous privacy, so while there are few public details about what she did, we know the body of her work was extensive. In the weeks since her passing, patients have reached out to share their love and thoughts. One comment in particular summarized her impact: “Mada not only changed my life, she made my life.” On numerous occasions her son recalls meeting people who recognized their last name and would break down sharing what Mada had done for them.

Lesser known was Mada’s deep passion for building and interior design. She designed not just her own homes and offices, but also helped numerous friends who engaged her to work on their own projects. As with her profession, she was highly skilled at this work, and would walk into any room and start moving the walls around in her head. She took great joy in creating spaces that people would enjoy for decades to come, another aspect of her quiet legacy.

Mada derived great pleasure from reading stories with her grandson Wyld, and had the patience to outlast any other adult at this activity. She spoke for hours a day with her sister and best friend Tina Beriro, as they worked out the world’s problems together. For decades, she and her husband and son traveled to far away places and always managed to find adventure off the beaten path in places including India, Tibet/China, Egypt, Morocco, Japan and elsewhere. Early in life, she had two cats named Atticus and Lady Esther, and later two dogs, Polo and Attila. She loved animals dearly and always had a way of making herself the favorite among them.

Mada bloomed a bit later in life in her late 30’s, when she became a wife, mother and found her professional calling. She then spent four decades dedicated to improving the lives of everyone around her. She was a force who filled every room she entered with energy and one friend appropriately described her as a ‘True American Original’, which she most certainly was.

Mada Hapworth is survived by her beloved sister and best friend Tina, her son Wills and his wife Abby and their son Wyld (her grandson whom she adored), her husband William Hapworth, MD, and her devoted caretaker Maria Eugenia Paredes.