Pamela Trow Liddell

Pamela Trow Liddell, 70, of Conestoga, PA, passed away in Wellington, FL, on February 24, 2024, following a long and courageous battle with endometrial cancer. 

Pam was the wife of Kirk Liddell, with whom she celebrated 43 years of marriage in 2023, and the mother of their four children: Jennifer Liddell Kaminstein (and husband Dan); Devon Liddell; James Liddell (and wife Heather); and Tim Austin Liddell. She was a beloved "Nana" to her seven grandchildren: Noah, Liam, Asher, and Jonah Kaminstein (sons of Jenny and Dan), and Liana, Eliza, and Julia Liddell (daughters of James and Heather). She is also survived by two brothers, Steve and Clark Trow, and three sisters-in-law: Steve's wife, Robin; Clark's wife, Kim; and Kirk's sister, Lynn. She was predeceased by her parents, Don and Lee Trow, and Lynn’s husband, Tom Wilson. 

Pam was born in Ann Arbor, MI, and lived in Pittsburgh, PA and New Haven, CT before moving in 2nd grade to Binghamton, NY when her father took a professor of sociology position at Harpur College/SUNY Binghamton. For many years, her family spent summers at a cottage on Silver Lake, just south of Binghamton. Pam and Kirk ended up inheriting the cottage, and recently renovated it with help from their architect son Tim, to ensure that it remains a family gathering place for years to come. 

After graduating from Binghamton Central High School in 1970, Pam majored in psychology and French at the University of Rochester. She spent her junior year abroad in Nice, France, and graduated in the spring of 1974. She went on to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago, where she met her future husband, Kirk, in an accounting class. 

Pam earned her Juris Doctorate in 1977 from the University of Chicago Law School, then became a tax lawyer at the Steptoe & Johnson law firm in Washington, D.C. When Pam and Kirk moved to Lancaster in 1980, Pam briefly joined the Barley Snyder law firm before dedicating herself full-time to motherhood. 

An independent thinker and problem-solver, Pam came from a long line of educators and believed deeply in education’s transformative potential. Unsatisfied with Lancaster’s early childhood education options, Pam joined forces with a group of teachers and parents in 1990 to found a Montessori school, first named The New School of Lancaster and known today as New School Montessori. One of her greatest satisfactions in life was seeing so many children thrive at The New School over the years. This legacy has lived on in her children, who have all become passionate supporters of Montessori education, and her grandchildren, who have all attended Montessori schools. 

Pam never stopped learning herself. She was the driving force behind the family's 1993 move to a farm in Conestoga, PA, where she began breeding and training horses. At first, it was mostly about creating an ideal environment in which to raise her children. Over time, Pam transformed the farm into a business, Kynynmont Connemaras LLC, which earned national recognition for its Connemara and Connemara-cross dressage horses, several of which have won American Connemara Pony Society Grand Champion and Horse of the Year Awards. After her children went to college, Pam returned to riding as an adult amateur, earning the bronze and silver medals awarded by the United States Dressage Federation. 

Pam’s greatest love throughout her lifetime was her family. She served as the principal caregiver for her mother and father in their later years, and she took great pride in raising her children and watching them find their own ways in the world. In recent years, she found great joy spending time with her grandchildren, especially during their extended summer visits on the farm.  

A memorial service at Kynynmont Farm is planned for Saturday, April 27th. Those wishing to attend should email Memorial@Kynynmont.com for more information. Contributions in Pam’s memory to New School Montessori, 935 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603, would be most welcome.