Born July 30, 1942
Brockport, N.Y.
Died Dec. 16, 2025
Putney, Vermont
Details of services
A memorial celebration is being planned for April 4th in Southern Vermont.
Kai George, 83, died peacefully in her home in Putney on Dec. 16, 2025 with her family by her side.
Kai’s achievements and rich experiences could fill a book. We will share some of those here, but as anyone who met her recognized, the qualities that made Kai so special were her love of life, her generous spirit, and her desire to connect with everyone she met, from young children to elders.
Over the last 24 months, as a glioblastoma brain tumor gradually took away her ability to do many of the things she had enjoyed throughout her life, she delighted in time shared with friends and family. Those who knew her from earlier times saw a person who combined these qualities with remarkable abilities ranging from cooking, gardening, singing, playing guitar and piano, knitting, and much more–all of which she seemed to do effortlessly. Although she was prodigiously talented, she was exceedingly humble — always showing much more interest in the lives of her friends and family than her own notable achievements.
Kai was born Karen Jean Lowen in Brockport, N.Y. on July 30, 1942, the first child of Rev. M. DeForest “Dee” Lowen and Thelma Orchidea (Johnson) Lowen. Her immigrant “Mormor,” four aunts, and two cousins created a warm community around her, celebrating Swedish holidays with joy and devotion.
Kai lived in Utica, N.Y. during her elementary school years. In eighth grade her family moved to Ridgewood, N.J. and she graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1960. She attended Earlham College for two years before marrying Malcolm “Mac” George on June 30, 1962 in her father’s American Baptist church in Ridgewood. The newlyweds moved to San Francisco where Mac began his architectural career and Kai attended San Francisco State University, receiving a B.A. in elementary education.
Kai began her career teaching elementary school in the turbulent 1960s in Berkeley, California. In her first teaching job out of school, Kai supported her Black students as they faced protesters opposed to busing laws that brought them to her school. Kai took time away from teaching when her first child, Randy, was born in 1969. The young family traveled in Europe for several months in 1971.
After their second child, Kirstin, was born, Kai and Mac left the San Francisco Bay Area and city life to begin a new chapter in rural Midcoast Maine in 1973. It was there in the town of Montville that Kai and Mac put down roots and lived for the next 36 years. Kai formed some of her deepest, most enduring friendships there.
She gracefully integrated being a devoted mom with building a house in the woods, growing a significant portion of her family’s food, and becoming an integral part of the Waldo County community. Soon Kai found herself going back to teaching, first as a childbirth educator (which she did for nearly 20 years), then as the director of the local Adult Basic Education program. In 1981 she returned to teaching elementary school full-time.
In 1989 Kai created the Multi-Aged Integrated Learning Environment (MILE) program at Walker Elementary School in Liberty, Maine. Beginning with MILE One for 5-8 year olds and soon extending to MILE Two for 8-11 year olds, this pioneering initiative was centered around Kai’s deep belief in meeting every student where they were, regardless of their age, and building holistic learning communities that explored exciting themes (e.g., Maine animals) while learning the traditional subjects.
She was widely recognized for her excellence as an educator and had the pleasure of teaching many children whose parents knew Kai as their childbirth teacher and in some cases as their first grade teacher! In 1996, Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Education. She was flown to the White House to receive this honor from Hillary Clinton.
When the first of Kai’s four grandchildren was born in 2004, she retired from teaching and became a devoted and delighted grandparent. When her twin grandchildren were born in India in 2014, she travelled there for two months to help care for the babies. She shared her love of the natural world with all of her grandchildren. Kai took her “barn barns” on many adventures including hiking, canoeing, camping, attending circus yoga camps, and much more. All four of this next generation considered their Farmor/Mormor to be like a third parent and friend.
Kai moved from Maine to Putney, Vermont in September of 2009, following Mac’s death that spring. In her new community, Kai developed many close friendships. She was a tutor and nature educator at the Putney Central School, worked shifts at the Community Center food shelf, was on the board of the Putney Mountain Association, sang in the River Singers Chorus, and won the award for most classes attended in one month at the local yoga studio. She enjoyed sharing her love of vegetable gardening with her neighbors at Putney Commons and created beautiful flower gardens there.
Throughout Kai’s life, she made time to travel overseas, often with friends and sometimes as a volunteer. She also prioritized immersing herself in wild places with Mac and other friends: up mountain trails, on pristine lakes, and along the coast of Maine. Knitting and sewing for loved ones was a source of great pleasure, as was making nourishing, delicious food. She was well known for her ability to host guests in her beauty-filled homes while simultaneously, and seemingly without effort, cooking a fabulous meal.
Kai accepted her terminal diagnosis with equanimity and without fear or regret. Instead, she continued to express wonder and appreciation for the natural world and her loved ones. Toward the end of her life, as Kai began to need more assistance, this supreme giver was finally able to receive care from dozens of friends and family near and far, new and old. Local friends visited and assisted her daily. Maine friends whom she’d known for 50 years came to stay with her every few weeks over these last two years
Kai left this world with the same grace with which she lived her life. Even in her final days, Kai never lost her infectious smile and love for everyone. She lives on as an inspiration to all who knew and loved her.
Kai is survived by son Randy George and daughter in law Eliza Cain of Moretown, Vermont; daughter Kirstin Edelglass and son in law William Edelglass of Marlboro, Vermont; granddaughters Maia George of Burlington, Vermont and Solveig George of Beverly, Massachusetts; grandchildren Jasmine and Sarah Edelglass of Marlboro, Vermont; brother Neal Lowen of Oakland, California; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by father M. DeForest Lowen, mother Thelma Lowen, husband Mac George and brother Eric Lowen.
For those wishing to make a donation in Kai’s name, her family suggests these two organizations for which she volunteered: the Putney Mountain Association or the Community Asylum Seekers Project.
