Laura Fitch was born on March 19, 1960, in Concord, MA the youngest of six children to John
and Mary Fitch. She died unexpectedly on January 1, 2023. She was 62. She is survived by her
husband of 39 years, Lyons Witten; her son Eliot Witten, his wife Bethany, and their children
Roger (5) and Ruth (3) of Keene, NH; her son Thomas Witten of Bar Harbor, ME. Ms. Fitch is
also survived by her mother Mary Hall Fitch (97), sister Margaret Tetreault in NH, and brothers
John in MA, Bob in Germany, George in VT, and Tom in CA.
Laura was a successful local architect who’s main client for many years was Smith College
where she worked on a myriad of projects from window replacements to complete dorm
renovations and the art museum. Laura’s legacy is synonymous with cohousing, designing
communities and working with emerging groups in New England, Brazil, Greece and beyond.
She lived at Cherry Hill Cohousing Community in Amherst since it was built in 1994. Laura
was always a strong advocate for women’s rights, loved to ski, bike, hike, sail, knit, garden, and
be with her grandchildren. Gifts in her honor can be made to Kroka Expeditions where she was
deeply involved as family and architect.
https://kroka.org/laura-fitch/
Ahearn Funeral Home
(413) 587-0044