Written by Laura Stichter-Bryson

Feb. 18, 2015: Mildred Adams McLearn, a resident of Bronxville for more than 75 years, passed away on February 12, 2015, at the age of 102. 

She was the beloved wife of the late Frank C. McLearn, who at the time of his death was president of King Features Syndicate, a division of The Hearst Corporation, and a member of its board of directors, as well as a trustee of The Hearst Estate and the late Keith Knutzen, a commercial and residential architect from Rhodesia. 

She is survived by Brian Firth, her devoted companion of the last 20 years.

Mildred was the much-loved and loving mother of Laura Stichter-Bryson (Michael), also a longtime resident of Bronxville, and Michael (Kathryn) McLearn of Savannah, GA. She was also the grandmother of Laura Patterson, John (Mary) Stichter, David (Charlotte) Stichter, Elizabeth Richards, Douglas (Elizabeth) McLearn, and Victoria (Sam) Woodruff, and the great-grandmother of 15.

In the 1950s, she was the co-chair of the Westchester County Republican Committee to nominate Robert A. Taft for president, and she became a registered stockbroker with Francis I. DuPont & Co. in New York City. 

She was always a staunch advocate for the Village of Bronxville, working diligently to preserve the village's traditional style and character against the many efforts by developers to erect high-rise commercial and residential buildings. 

In the 1990s, she wrote and published The Voluntary State, a book containing her political and philosophical views and her prescriptions for a freer, more entrepreneurial society based on her unique theory of voluntary taxation, a summary of which was published in the National Review in the late 1950s. 

She was a graduate of the Emma Willard School and she attended Vassar College and Case Western Reserve University. She also studied under the economist Ludwig von Mises at New York University.

As observed by her granddaughter Elizabeth Richards on her Facebook page, Mildred was "born four months after the sinking of the Titanic, more alive than most of us will ever be until she left [this] world just yesterday at 102."

She was a student and believer of the Austrian school of economics, "a libertarian, maestro of dinner table discussions, a fervent believer in the power of ideas, [and a] poser of penetrating questions. She was interested in everything and marked us all indelibly." Her energy and vitality in all things physical and metaphysical was a wonder to behold and impossible to match.

A memorial service will be held at The Reformed Church of Bronxville on Saturday, February 21, 2015, at 11:00 am.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers a donation may be made to NewYork Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital, 55 Palmer Road, Bronxville, NY 10708 (www.nyplawrence.org/Ways-of-Giving.aspx).