Gretchen Kern Hannon

1938 - 2024

Gretchen Kern Hannon

South Strafford, VT - Gretchen Kern Hannon, 86, died peacefully on November 26, 2024. Gretchen was born and raised in Helena, Montana, where, since the age of 4, she would ride bareback into the mountains and disappear for hours. To know Gretchen Hannon was to know the rustling of aspen trees, the music of streams and the deep wisdom of horses. She would return to her family's log cabin on Black Mountain almost every summer of her life, and relished sharing it with her family and friends.

Gretchen left Montana to earn a BA at Arizona and an MA at Stanford University. She went on to have a profoundly impactful career in leadership and organizational development, serving clients in multinational corporations, educational departments and government positions while living in Kenya, Tanzania, Russia, Great Britain, Belgium and Norway. She served as Adjunct Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership for over two decades, as both facilitator and executive coach.

Gretchen also engineered and hosted a daily regional talk show for CBS, flew as a licensed bush pilot in east Africa, and founded and directed international community theatres in Tanzania, Russia and Belgium.

Her adventurous spirit inspired all three of her children - Lisa, Scott and Kim - and moved them to pursue challenging vocations including Search & Rescue Responder, Navy SEAL and Tall Ship Sailor.

Gretchen had a rich 60 year partnership with her husband, John. They retired from diplomacy and set down roots in South Strafford, Vermont, where they quickly built up a vibrant cadre of friends. In their later years, Gretchen and John moved to the Parker Ridge Retirement community in Blue Hill, Maine. In addition to their own grandchildren - Kessler, Sam and Vida - Gretchen and John were adopted as beloved grandparents by countless young friends from around the world.

Gretchen Hannon will be ferociously missed. Her rib-shaking laugh, insatiable curiosity, sonorous voice and four-hour-long hugs have left an indelible mark on this earth. But for everyone who loved her - and there are legions of people who loved her - she has simply jumped back onto her beloved horse and ridden up into the mountains once again.