Obituary: Kristen Maire

June 25, 1943 – September 26, 2023

Kristen Elizabeth Maire passed peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, September 26th, in Mill Spring, North Carolina after a 10-year battle with lung cancer. Kristen was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1943 and moved to Aspen in 1980 with her first husband Sheldon, and two children Leif and Melanie to fulfill a shared dream of living in the mountains.
Among Kristen’s many joys was her love of listening to, learning from, and helping people. This made for a lifelong love of her work as a psychotherapist working between the Aspen Mental Health Center in the 80’s and later in private practice. She adored the Aspen community, and often reflected on how lucky she was to live for 37 years in John Denver’s “sweet Rocky Mountain Paradise”. One of the greatest gifts of her life was time spent in spiritual fellowship with her second husband Paul, her profoundly spiritual friends, and the monks at the Snowmass Monastery.
She lived in Aspen until 2017 when she moved with Paul to North Carolina. Her final 7 years were spent in the peace and quiet in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Mill Spring, NC with her sister. There she was given the gift of reconnecting more closely with her beloved siblings, Lynne, and Roger Parsons, and forging new meaningful friendships. Kristen will be remembered by all for her empathy, incredible listening skills, passion for profound 1:1 connection, flare for the dramatic, forever quest for finding the deeper meaning and strong will to live. She will also be remembered, especially by her granddaughters, for being funny without even trying.
Kristen is survived by her son, Leif Hughes, daughter Melanie (Hughes) Alavi, son-in-law Sean Alavi, beloved granddaughters Nadia and Ariana Alavi, and step-daughters Paula, Gina and Becky Maire. She is preceded in death by her parents, Vern and Joe Parsons, and her husband Paul.