Northampton, MA – Kathryn Marie Denny died peacefully, struggles over, on February 5, 2026 in the compassionate care of workers at Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst. A longtime resident of Northampton, Kathryn was born in 1958 in Indianapolis, the fourth of six children living in a mixed race neighborhood for which she was grateful. Her fondest memories of that time were riding and caring for horses at a stable nearby her home. She attended Assumption College and UMass Amherst, spending a summer working with inner-city kids in Philadelphia. She moved to Northampton soon after school where she worked weatherizing homes for the Hampshire Community Action Commission, as a case manager at Highland Valley Elder Service, then provided in-home childcare for several years. An ardent feminist and anti-racist she trained for a time at Valley Women's Martial Arts, joined the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence's Journey Toward Wholeness Committee and the Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue Committee. Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Emma Goldman and Fran Liebowitz are among those who inspired her. She met her husband-to-be Steve Strimer in 1987 moving with him to their home on Clark Avenue in 1991. They married in April of 2015. Kathryn was naturally funny, loved children, music, cats, horses, oceans, many stand-up comics, Bela Restaurant, Look Park, the Green Mountains, and her beloved Valley and its people. She is sorely missed. Donations in her memory can be made to the Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee (memo: Scholarship for Social Justice), Box 60405, Florence, MA 01062.
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Kathryn Marie Denny