Kristen Jane Hagstrom, beloved wife of Stephen W Hagstrom, mother of Erik Rand Hagstrom & Britta H Numair (George) and grandmother of Olivia Numair passed away on March 5, 2020.
Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania on February 16th 1952, Kristen was the daughter of John A Gersbach and Carol M Gersbach of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and sister of Carl R. Gersbach of Devon, Pennsylvania.
The Gersbachs moved to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area in the summer of 1952 and settled in Springfield, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In 1959, they moved again to the Borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. There, Kristen attended Swarthmore Elementary School and graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1970. At Swarthmore High School, Kristen was active in both sports and academic pursuits and she developed many close friends. She had a profound love of horse and worked in local stables during school. She loved riding through the countryside’s near Radnor Hunt Club. She also developed her love for the New Jersey  shore that would lead to many summers during her college days spent in Cape May, New Jersey. Upon graduation from high school, Kristen chose to follow in her father’s footsteps enrolling at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. However, after experiencing her first upstate New York winter, she made the decision to transfer to the University of Delaware. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 1974, receiving a degree in Art History. On May 13th, 1978  Kristen and Steve were married in Rye, New York. They first lived in Rye for five years and then lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Richardson, Texas and Claremont, California. In 2015, they moved to Goleta, California near Santa Barbara.
Kristen was a determined and conscientious stay at home mom for Erik & Britta. As they grew older, her career expanded from procuring art for several galleries, to assisting the director of Pergamon Press and to assisting the City Manager and staff in Claremont, California.
Kristen passed away as a result of ongoing health complications during her treatment at the Ridley Tree Oncology Center.
She leaves behind her beloved husband Stephen of 40+ years, son Erik, daughter Britta, granddaughter Olivia and her beloved pets Zoie, Punk and Zini.
There will be two memorial services celebrating Kristen’s life. The first will in Santa Barbara, California in June 27th where her ashes will be scattered in the Santa Barbara channel. The second will be at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church with a celebration to follow in October.
