Remembering Kaitlin Lindsay (Hetzner) Johnston

Written by Earthaven Admin Team on August 15, 2025. Posted in Chosen Family, Members.

Kaitlin Lindsay Johnston passed away on August 7, 2025, at the age of 49.

Born in Madison, WI, on June 23, 1976, and raised between Hamburg, Michigan, and Kiel, Wisconsin, Kaitlin’s life was one of deep empathy, spiritual wisdom, and service to others. As a Priestess of Cycles, Kaitlin had a rare and profound gift for guiding people through life’s transitions—through song, sacred ceremony, and the holding of space for grief, celebration, and healing. Her presence was steady and radiant, a source of calm and compassion for countless individuals navigating life’s most difficult and meaningful moments.

She is survived by her loving and beloved husband Bruce Johnston; her father Michael Hetzner; her sisters Megan (Terry Andersen) Hetzner and Molly (Ryan) Rabe; parents-in-law Joyce and Craig Johnston, brother and sister-in-law Ross Johnston and Rachel Winstedt; nieces and nephews Azure, Zane (Iyanla Rivera), and Winter Tinkle, and Harper and Gavin Johnston-Winstedt; and great-nephew Ivíca Sol Lokahi Rivera-Tinkle. She is also survived by her chosen family and dear friends in the Earthaven Ecovillage community, where she found connection, purpose, and home.

Kaitlin was preceded in death by her beloved son Rowan Kavanaugh Lindsay Johnston, her mother Nora Lindsay Hetzner, maternal grandparents Kenneth and Rosalie Lindsay, and paternal grandparents Hugo and Jean Hetzner.

A ceremony in honor of Kaitlin’s life was held at Earthaven Ecovillage on Saturday, August 9. All who were touched by her light are welcome to gather, sing, grieve, and celebrate the extraordinary soul she was and will continue to be in spirit. For more about how we do home funerals and burials, see Home Funerals, Green Burials, which will be presented live online on November 2, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to one of these great causes in Kaitlin’s memory: