Jean Lathrop, 71, of Plainfield died unexpectedly on Thursday August 27, 2015 at her beloved home which was a part of the New Hamburger Community. She was born on September 4, 1943 in Massachusetts, the daughter of the late Roger Lyndon, the noted mathematician and Barbara Whitmer. She was raised in Unity, New Hampshire by her mother, the later Barbara (Whitmer) Clark and the late Alan (Buddy) Clark. She received her BA and an MA in American Women's History from Goddard College. She then taught for many years in a Goddard College undergraduate program for low-income adults. Jean had a boundless curiosity about all people and treated everyone as an equal. She was a beloved and widely known adult educator. She consulted, contributed to educational research and taught throughout Vermont. With her late partner David Palmer she also visited, taught and worked in Cuba and Nicaragua. She developed and directed the Vermont Refugee Assistance program and, with David, housed and befriended many individuals and families who were fleeing conditions in Central America and Africa. Jean was an avid and informed reader and political activist. She worked for many years as a volunteer with women in Vermont's Corrections system. She was an ambitious, imaginative and proficient flower and vegetable gardener. She was an excellent cook and a generous host to her many visiting friends and their children. Survivors include her son and daughter, Bruce and Marion Wickstrom, her daughter-in-law Cristina Madariaga, her grandson Sonny and the members of the New Hamburger community and many, many close friends. A memorial service is planned for sometime during the 2015 Christmas holidays.