Kathryn Lydia (Schuler) Kirshner

Kathryn Lydia Schuler Kirshner, age 82, died peacefully on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in her home at Chestnut Place in Brookline.

Kathryn was born on July 11, 1940, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Edgar Schuler and Kathryn (Reinhart) Schuler, along with older siblings John and Virginia. Kathryn was a loving and compassionate person who was dedicated to her friends and family, showed deep engagement with social and political issues, and loved music, literature, and the arts.

After graduating from Oberlin College in 1962, Kathryn moved to New York City, where she lived with her sister Virginia and completed a Masters Degree in Education at Bank Street College. She married Lewis Kirshner in 1967 and eventually moved to Brookline where they raised their two sons, Adam and Ben.

Kathryn completed her Ed.D. in counseling psychology at Boston University and practiced as a therapist for many years specializing in treatment of anxiety and depression and leading groups for teenage girls.

In her later years Kathryn loved spending time with her grandchildren, taking trips with her longtime partner Bob Erwin, contributing her time to progressive causes, and helping to build community at First Parish Unitarian Congregation. She was an avid lover of music and sang in several choral groups.

Kathryn is survived by her two sons, Adam (Phebe) Kiryk and Ben Kirshner; three grandchildren, Jack, Dmitri, and Jackson; her niece Sarah (Eric) Schulmiller (children Tal and Ezra) and nephew George (Jamie) Schuler (child Sagan); her brother in-law Joel Schulman and her sister-in-law Betty Schuler, and many beloved close friends and extended family.

A memorial service is planned for June 18, 2023 at First Parish in Brookline.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Kathryn’s name to the Cambridge Community Chorus or the First Parish in Brookline.