Corinne Kirchner Obituary

Obituary of Dr. Corinne E. Kirchner
Dr. Corinne E. Kirchner (née Endreny), formerly of New York City, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 15, 2025. She was 90.
She leaves behind her devoted daughters Elizabeth (Betsy) Corry and her husband, Dan, Katherine Ike and her husband, John; six cherished grandchildren Andy, Em, Sally, Maggie, Franny, and Grace; four treasured great-grandchildren Riley, Hannah, Rosie, and Hugo; and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
In addition to her parents, Corinne was preceded in death by her siblings Richard, Dr. Raymond, and Dr. Phyllis Endreny.
Corinne was born in New York City on March 14, 1935, to the late Dr. Emil and Elizabeth Endreny (née Polyak) as the oldest of four siblings. She grew up in Pelham Manor, NY before returning to New York City to attend Barnard College and remained there for most of her life. Corinne obtained her PhD in Sociology from Columbia University.
Corinne had a brilliant mind and a thirst for knowledge and information. She did research for the Ford Foundation and then worked for her alma mater, Columbia University, in the School of Sociomedical Sciences. She became the Director of Research at the American Foundation for the Blind doing research on disability until her "re-wire-ment" (refusing to call it her retirement!). In her honor the American Foundation for the Blind established The Corinne Kirchner Research Award. From their website "The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) established the in 2007 to honor the organization's longtime staff member, Corinne Kirchner, Ph.D. Dr. Kirchner's groundbreaking research set the benchmark against which much of the subsequent research in the field has been compared. Her tireless pursuit of excellence in research led AFB and the blindness field at large to a higher level of expectation concerning the investigation of demographic data, analysis of outcomes in program and service delivery, and scientific examination of socio-ecological trends in the population of people who are blind or have low vision."
During her "rewirement" Corinne audited linguistics classes at Columbia University, continued to teach graduate level classes at Columbia, participated and presented at numerous conferences, and did tireless amounts of research at both Barnard College and Columbia University into the life and career of sociologist Dr. Mirra Komarovsky, one of her former professors.
Determined, resilient and tough are the words that Corinne's family would use to best describe her. She raised her two daughters primarily by herself and did everything she could for them. Corinne was a welcoming and warm person who incorporated everyone she met into her family. She opened her home to anyone in need, hosting and mentoring many students from out of town and creating lasting friendships with them all. Her daughters fondly remember Corinne purchasing a Volkswagon bus that they fixed up to take a cross-country camping trip as well as the backpacking trips throughout Europe that they embarked on during the summer, always including her daughters' friends in these adventures!
Corinne was extremely hardworking and fiercely independent. She loved to exercise and worked with a personal trainer all the way up until moving to assisted living. Her approach to life influenced and impacted all those who knew her. She was an amazing mother, grandmother, and friend who will be deeply missed by all the lives she touched.
Her daughters would especially like to express their deepest thanks to Maeghan Scott, owner of Right at Home (Essex County) for all the care and support provided to Corinne over the last 2 and a half years. Her primary caregivers, Joan Fearon and Patience Dire were a godsend for Corinne and for her daughters. Steadfast, patient, loving and supportive in so many ways, Corinne's final years were made infinitely better with them in her life and her daughters are forever grateful for everything they did for her.
Services for Corinne will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions can be made in Corinne's memory to Barnard College, through The Barnard Fund. Gifts can be made online at When selecting your gift designation, please select "The Barnard Annual Fund" and make your payment. Once completed, you will be able to enter Corinne E. Kirchner as the designee. If giving via check, your check should be made out to Barnard College and include "Gift in memory of Corinne E. Kirchner" in the gift memo. Your check can be mailed to Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027.