Obituary

Louise Adams was an exceptional human being. She was gifted with great intelligence, a great singing voice, being active in the May Festival Chorus for many years. She played the piano and relished classical music. She was highly educated, with a background in biology, a Master’s degree in Philosophy and a Doctorate in School Psychology.

After graduating from Gonzaga University, she obtained a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the St. Louis University. A Rotary Scholarship (her father was a member in the Rotary Club) took her to the University of Louvain in Belgium, where she studied for a doctorate in philosophy, becoming a candidate for a doctoral degree. She taught philosophy at Mt. St. Joseph College, at Xavier University and at Thomas More College.

Being a very independent woman, she returned to school at UC, obtaining a PhD in School Psychology. She worked for many years as a psychotherapist in Kentucky, and eventually in her own private practice. She finally worked for the school system in Kentucky for many years as a school psychologist.

She was endowed with an independent mind, being a non-conformist, uninhibited and unconventional. While speaking her mind freely, she could at the same time charm people with her sense of humor. She was a forward looking person, choosing not to dwell on past mishaps. She had an inexhaustible “joie de vivre”. She was a free spirit, ready to take risks and look for adventure. But most of all she was a devoted mother, and her children will unanimously testify to her love and dedication to them. She was particularly passionate about providing them with the best schooling. To that effect she was instrumental in the beginnings of several new schools, such as Creative and Performing Arts, The Montessori Center and the “New School”.

During the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's, she and two friends were instrumental in organizing a “Home Visitation Program”, where blacks and whites got together in each other’s homes to promote interracial understanding and cooperation.

Louise was born near Jackson Wyoming, growing up in the mountains, and always loved skiing. She always yearned to return to the mountains and she instilled in her children the love of nature and adventure, visiting and camping in national parks every summer. She loved travel, both in Europe and South America. It was a cruel fate that Alzheimer’s destroyed her beautiful mind. She confronted her tragic fate by composing an article about her own experience of walking into that dark night, comparing her journey to stepping into the irreversible darkness with a flashlight, which gradually dims as the batteries become exhausted.

Written by Pedro Adams, February 2013