Read Sylvie "Geraldine" Nicole Geraldine Kline's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Sylvie "Geraldine" Nicole Geraldine Kline

Peterborough, NH, USA

April 17, 1964 - March 23, 2021

Apr 17, 1964 - Mar 23, 2021

Help keep everyone in the know by sharing this memorial website.

Share

Photo

On Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Sylvie Nicole Geraldine Kline, loving and beloved wife and mother, crossed the threshold into the spiritual world at the age of 56. Geraldine was born on April 17, 1964 in Les Hopitaux Neufs, France, to Robert and Claude (Maire) Regard.
Geraldine developed an early love of community life in her small village on the eastern border of France. Her life was centered on Mont D’Or, where she enjoyed skiing and hiking on the forested slopes throughout the year. With her father as mayor, she got an early sense of the challenges and possibilities of community life and leadership – a collective effort to serve the needs of present and future generations. Geraldine had a profound love for her elementary school- one room, one teacher with five grades together. It left a deep impression on her young mind – the light streaming into the afternoon sewing class, the smell of the classroom and supplies, the abundance of ideas and ideals. She had a strong connection to the village’s Catholic Church, where she served mass and played the organ.
With her first husband Laurent Gizard, Geraldine welcomed her first daughter Marie Gizard into the world in 1984. In 1989 Geraldine and Marie moved to Plum Village, the monastic community of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. There she experienced an expanded sense of community, centered in a spiritual ideal. She practiced the core teaching of mindfulness while taking up the organization of community life, including the children’s program during retreats. There she met and married her husband Michael; children SaraMae and Tristan were born in the following two years. With her marriage to Mike, Geraldine’s family expanded to include his: Parents Robert and Barbara; brother Bob and Anna and their children John and Julia; brother Ed and Carol and their children Neil, Tatum, and Henry; sister Kathy and her many friends.
Through the international community at Plum Village, Geraldine and Mike were introduced to Waldorf Education, which became central to their family, social, and professional lives. In 1996 the family moved to Stourbridge, England, where Mike completed a Waldorf teacher training program and Geraldine volunteered her gifts for a number of social initiatives. In 1998 the family moved to Saratoga Springs, NY, where Geraldine’s organizational leadership capacities continued to grow at the Spring Hill Waldorf School. These years of experience in community development paired with her deep love for Waldorf education prepared her to take the position of Director of Development at the Vancouver Waldorf School. Her professional life came to its full expression as Head of School for the Seattle Waldorf School, Three Cedars Waldorf School in Bellevue, WA; and High Mowing School in Wilton, NH.
Geraldine was deeply grateful to these communities who entrusted her with leading, developing, and helping to heal their schools. She had an innate gift for this task, bringing clarity of thought, strength of will, and depth of feeling to her work with colleagues, parents, students, and boards of directors. Her profound wish to provide a Waldorf education to her children led her to find a career which cultivated her natural gifts, and extended a Waldorf education to children around the world.
Geraldine was preceded in death by her father, Robert. She is survived by her mother Claude; her husband Mike; her children Marie, SaraMae, and Tristan; her grandchildren Teo, Oscar, and Willow; her sisters Veronique and Marie France; her brother Laurent; and her many nieces and nephews in France and the United States.

Order a beautiful PDF you can print and save or share.

Get the PDF

Get notified when new photos, stories and other important updates are shared.