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:

• Earthaven Ecovillage, her community
• The Temple of Diana Inc., of which Kaitlin was clergy
• Donate to a scholarship for the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference
• GoFundMe for supporting Bruce after the sudden loss of Kaitlin

More from Kaitlin:

• Creating Ritual with Kaitlin Ilya Wolf podcast
• Growing Red Tents or Women’s Circles recording of an online workshop

The post Remembering Kaitlin Lindsay (Hetzner) Johnston appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

When you fall in love with community-mates, over time and through all kinds of circumstances, you develop a relationship very much like family. When they leave or die, it’s an amazing loss and also a treasure trove of meaningful connection and nourishing memory. We can’t say enough about them, but we try….

Susan (Suchi) Lathrop lived and created sacred space at Earthaven for fourteen years, and was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), a disabling encroachment on natural body movement, not long after her best friend, Kimchi Rylander, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It’s hard for us to accept and yet when it faces you square on, it challenges us to rise to the situation and lift things to their highest level. And rise we did, with Kimchi (who died in February) and again with Suchi.

Both women wanted to live their final days in the community they loved and so a large contingent of Earthaven members came together to do whatever was necessary to see these beloved women through their end-of-life transitions.

right: Suchi & Kimchi greet firefighters last year.

The following obituary is about Suchi’s life within and beyond Earthaven.

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Susan (aka Suchi) Lathrop passed away in peace at home in Earthaven Ecovillage on May 17, surrounded by beloved friends. She had been suffering with a quickly declining condition of ALS. A wake and funeral were also held at Earthaven.

Suchi was a beloved leader in her community, not just at Earthaven, but in and around Asheville. She was outspoken and generous, and was the innovator of many community functions that have since become Earthaven traditions, including the weekly Coffee & Trade event on Tuesday mornings. Her guidance and determination made a huge difference! She was the Earthaven Firekeeper (like a President, only more so), and had a voice in many key committees over the years.

right: Suchi at the Trading Post.

As a core member of the Hut Hamlet neighborhood, Suchi co-owned the Tribal Condo with her beloved friend, Kimchi Rylander, for over a decade. She was an ardent gardener and filled her greenhouse with food all year round.

Suchi grew up in upstate New York, focusing her academic studies in psychology and library science. She has been a dedicated supporter of the Palestinian cause in Israel, and a leading member of the local Friends group in bringing attention to the issues. She was also Clerk of the Black Mountain Friends Meeting for several years.

Suchi’s hope is that people who want to honor her life donate a day or two of volunteer support to local non-profits in her name and the name of her community, Earthaven.

The post Letting Go Slowly appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

We are saddened to report that Earthaven Member Brian Love passed away in March of 2015. Brian contributed enormously to the agricultural and technological development of our community, contributed countless hours of creative design, planning, management and physical labor to land-based and building projects across the village, and was an active leader in numerous committees and Council. Among his many notable achievements at Earthaven, he leaves behind the beautiful farm and home created in the Gateway neighborhood. His official obituary is available here.

The post Goodbye to Brian Love appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.