KATHRYN BIRECKI

1959 - 2025

BIRECKI, Kathryn Andover Matriarch and Guardian of "Non Sibi," dies at 65 Kathy Birecki, the indomitable heart of Phillips Academy Andover, whose quiet authority, baked goods and unwavering commitment to service shaped generations of students, died, on February 22, 2025. She was 65. Diagnosed with dementia, she faced the disease for seven years with the same grit and humor that defined her life, before ultimately succumbing to it. She passed in the embrace of her husband, Andy; her children, Jessie, Emily and Mike; her sister, Karen; and the Andover family she had cultivated over four decades. Country music hummed in the background, laughter and conversation filled the air, a scene reminiscent of Lower Left Commons, where she had once ruled with a mother's touch and a dean's resolve. She was born Kathryn Lu Ahearn in Middlebury, Connecticut, on September 29, 1959, a force in a deceptively small package. "Little A," they called her on the softball field, a nod to her 5-foot-2 and eigth/fourths-inch frame and her last name. She was a formidable catcher, a scrappy basketball player and a natural leader, though, as she often admitted, her height made basketball a sport of perseverance rather than dominance. That same determination carried her to Andover in the summer of 1983, to interview for an athletic training job. By August, she and her husband had moved to campus and remained there for nearly 40 years. Andover was both her home and her mission field. Officially, Birecki was a cluster dean, a house counselor, an athletic trainer and a mentor. Unofficially, she was a trailblazer, Andover's compass, guiding students with a mix of motherly wisdom and unflinching honesty. She was the first to spot a struggling student, the first to step in when a lesson in humility was needed and the first to arrive, often with a plate of cookies, when comfort was required. Her presence was commanding without being overbearing, her authority absolute, yet never heavy-handed. Birecki was, above all, a believer in "Non Sibi": Not for Self, the Andover ethos that she wore not as a motto, but as a way of life. She taught students to strive, but more importantly, to serve. She pushed them to achieve, but never at the cost of integrity. And she left behind a legacy of men and women who walked a little taller because they had, at some point, passed through her care. Her final days were spent in the company of those she had loved and shaped, her family by blood and by bond. When the time came, she slipped away as she had lived: in the presence of warmth, laughter and the music of a well-lived life. "Life gets no better than this," she often said. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Andy; and her children, Jessica Osborn and her husband, Wallis, of Loveland, CO, Emily Neff and her husband, Tom, of Merrimac, MA and Michael Birecki of Atkinson, NH. She was a devoted grandmother named "LuLu" to Taft and August (Gus) of Loveland, CO and Bailey and Thomas of Merrimack, MA. She is also survived by her sisters, Kim Porter and her husband, Bill, of Denver, PA and Karen Schneider and her husband, Howie, of Littleton, MA; her brother, David Ahearn, and his wife, Krystal, of North Port, FL; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Her impact echoes across generations, carried in the hearts and minds of those she guided, mentored and called family. We invite all who knew her to share their memories - stories, photos, or videos- to be included in a memory book: https://bit.ly/3XzQFlY https://www.tributeslides.com/up/40179214699632 https://bit.ly/3XzQFlY A Celebration of her Life will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., in Cochran Chapel at Phillips Academy, 2 Chapel Ave., Andover, MA 01810. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Trustees of Phillips Academy, in support of the Athletic program in Kathy's name. Send to: Phillips Academy, Attn. Graham Hall, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810.

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