Amy Morrissey Kleppner

1931 - 2024

Amy M. Kleppner was a teacher, writer, public speaker, Selectboard member, and adventurer, as well as a wife, mom, grandmother, and beloved aunt.

One of the first women to earn a PhD in Philosophy from Columbia University, she went on to teach philosophy at Howard University, where her students included future civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael. She later spent decades teaching English in Maryland high schools.

She was a lifelong adventurer. As a teenager in the 1940s, she biked from Boston to Quebec City, and over the decades trekked and kayaked in France, Siberia, Alaska, Spain, and New Zealand, and swam in Antarctica. She celebrated her 85th birthday with a 100-mile hike in England, and, at 92, set off for the Mediterranean to retrace some of Odysseus's voyage.

She died at peacefully at home at 93 with family at her side.

Her advocacy for women's rights, adventurous spirit, and athleticism were traits she shared with, and were perhaps inspired by, her aunt, Amelia Earhart.

She was predeceased by Adam Kleppner, her husband of 59 years, and is survived by her sons Bram and Caleb, her daughters-in-law Genie Henry and Susannah Bernheim, and her many grandchildren, in-laws, nephews and nieces, as well as her long-time roommate, care provider, and dear friend, Suzanne Harrington.

To honor Amy, please make a contribution to the Wardsboro Public Library (www.wardsboropubliclibrary.org); Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (www.plannedparenthood.org); the Safety Team (www.thesafetyteam.org); or the Population Media Center (www.populationmedia.org).