Claudia Elizabeth Bagiackas left this world on April 12, 2026. She was born on July 16, 1948, in Plainfield, N.J., into a large Catholic family of seven full of love. These roots of family and spirituality remained important, and she carried them with her through a full life.
After Mount Aloyisius College and Duquesne University, she settled with her high school sweetie in northeast Ohio. It was there she was introduced to Montessori education. This interest drew her and a young family to Bergamo, Italy, to study and become AMI-trained teachers.
They returned to Ohio and bought a beautiful 10-acre farm that had been lovingly planted and cared for. It was here they cut their teeth on rural life, instilling in their children a lifelong appreciation for the work of building a homestead.
They called it “Euterra,” meaning “Good Earth,” and opened it up in the summers as a camp for local kids, creating a place to expose another generation to the skills of raising food and caring for the land.
Eventually her educational career led her to Connecticut, where she and her husband ran the Montessori School of Northeast Connecticut. In this time she received her master’s in social ecology from Goddard College’s off-campus program.
This was pivotal because it exposed her to the unique community that had been built by the presence of Goddard.
She eventually moved to Marshfield, Vt., on her own and started a new life working at Goddard’s Social Ecology Program. She also met Paul Council, eventually moving into a little cabin on a ledge in Woodbury and settling into a 30-year relationship.
Her work put her in contact with people from all over the world interested in studying the ideas of Murray Bookchin. She was a tireless advocate, helping so many find their way to central Vermont to study.
At this time she was introduced to Buddhism. She traveled to Ladakh, India, making lasting connections. The teachings drew her to a local group practicing a weekly sangah, a ritual she continued for 30 years.
Claudia was also a landscape artist who painted and sold work of her favorite places around central Vermont and curated art shows to support other local artists.
One of her most enduring legacies was the founding of Central Vermont Montessori in Barre. Inspired to start the school by the birth of her grandchildren, she and her brother Michael shepherded the school in its early growth. Their careful vision built a school now in its 27th year.
Claudia would have turned 80 on July 16. Her work here touched many people. If you were one of them, raise a glass this Thursday to a woman who lived a full life and helped so many to realize their dreams.
She was predeceased by her parents, Socrates and Elizabeth Bagiackas; brother Michael; and big sister Mab. She is survived by three siblings, Jean Moretti, Kitty Connaughton and Thomas Bagiackas; her first husband, Gordon Maas, and his wife, Maureen; three children, Ian, Zoe and Tyler; grandchildren, Althea, Sophie, Eliza, Asa, Remy and Sunjae; and the love of her life, Paul Concil.
This article appears in July 15 • 2026.