Kathryn Piper

Kathryn “Kate” Aring Piper of Lower Waterford, Vermont was born on August 30,1951 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She died peacefully at her home, surrounded by family, on March 6, of an untreatable, degenerative neurological disease. Kate was 72 years old.

Kate did everything with her full, committed heart and powerful intellect. She was always striving to create purpose in life and make an impact in the world, especially when it came to injustices faced by children. The people in her life knew how deeply they were loved, and the outpouring of support she experienced in the last few months of her life from family, friends and colleagues from every stage of her life was a beautiful testament to the relationships she built and nurtured. Kate had a sense of adventure and was an avid skier, cross country skier, biker and walker. She loved nothing more than summer in Vermont, where she could be found picking and arranging flowers from her garden, rowing on her beloved Connecticut River, and plunging into ice-cold mountain streams. Kate was also known for her smile, mid-western friendliness, and good humor. She often said that raising her children was her proudest accomplishment, and she took great delight in helping to raise her grandchildren as well. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her.  

Kate is survived by her husband of 51 years, Bill, her three children, and their spouses: Alison Piper Fox (Jeff Fox) of Bozeman, Montana, Samuel B. Piper (Shey Piper) of Truckee, California and Caroline B. Piper (Thaddeus Houston) also of Truckee, California; along with her four grandchildren, Oliver (12) and Graham (11) Fox and Willa (4) and Otis (1) Piper-Houston.  She is also survived by her sister, Julia Aring Uihlein (David V. Uihlein Jr.) of Milwaukee, and many long-time friends and extended family. Kate was predeceased by her father, Charles W. Aring, her mother, Dorothy B. Aring, and her brother, Charles W. Aring, Jr. 

Kate graduated high school in 1969 as valedictorian. She attended Middlebury College where she fell in love with Vermont… and with Bill. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin and got married in 1972. Kate received her Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk Law School in 1976. She and Bill moved to the Northeast Kingdom that same year, where they worked for Downs Rachlin Martin in St. Johnsbury. Kate soon left private practice to pursue her interest in criminal law and became the only female public defender in the Northeast Kingdom. After two years as a public defender, Kate began clerking for the Hon. Sterry Waterman at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 1980, Kate passed the New Hampshire Bar Exam, intending to practice law there. But because New Hampshire had a residency requirement that Kate believed to be unconstitutional, she could not begin practicing there right away. So she brought suit in federal court, ultimately prevailing in 1985 in an 8-1 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, in N.H v. Piper. Kate’s Supreme Court victory spoke to her intolerance for injustice and her determination to see projects through. Kate attended and taught at Lyndon State College and received her Master’s Degree in Teaching and Counseling. In 1992, Kate became the Juvenile Defender in the Northeast Kingdom representing children in abuse, neglect and other proceedings. She continued in that role until 2011 when she enrolled in the PhD program at the Heller School at Brandeis University, receiving her PhD in Social Policy in 2016. For the next five years, Kate was the Senior Policy Analyst at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.   

Kate was an active member of the community and served on many state and local committees and volunteer organizations. Among them were: the Waterford Planning Commission; Fire Department; and School Board. She also served as the Chair of the Waterford Democratic Committee, was the Trustee of the Lower Waterford Church, and the founder of the Waterford Preservation Trust. Kate further helped establish Umbrella, initiated the creation of the Caledonia Family Treatment Court, volunteered with the Guardian Ad Litem Program, served on the committee to create the Community Justice Center, and delivered Meals on Wheels. At the state level, Kate served on the Justice for Children Task Force, was a board member of Voices for Vermont’s Children, was appointed by two governors to the State Board of Education, and served on the Board of Bar Examiners.

There will be a memorial service for Kate at 1pm on Saturday, May 11 at the United Community Church (North), 1325 Main Street, St. Johnsbury. A reception will immediately follow at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kate’s memory to Umbrella; the Child Maltreatment Policy Resource Center (1706 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43203); Caledonia Home Health Care and Hospice; or the United Community Church.  

Memories and condolences may be shared with family at saylesfh.com