Muriel T. Asbornsen

EAST GREENBUSH - Muriel T. Asbornsen (Mimi), 95, of East Greenbush, N.Y., died Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in her home at Hawthorne Ridge. She was born on February 23, 1931, in Englewood, N.J., and spent much of her life in Stuyvesant, N.Y. and in Hancock County, Maine – both of which places were very important to her. She was a graduate of Dwight School for Girls, Wellesley College, and the University of Pennsylvania, from which she received a master’s degree in zoology.

Mimi married her late husband, Matthew A. Asbornsen, M.D., and they settled in Columbia County, where they raised their two daughters. She was able to fulfill her dream of having a small farm with a big vegetable garden, and chickens, sheep, and a lovely milk cow. She made bread, canned vegetables and fruit, and froze meat. She sewed, knit, and even learned how to spin wool and to weave, but it was the learning how, not the doing, that gave her the most satisfaction. 

Mimi was an amazing woman, full of strength, grit, and intellectual curiosity. She was unique, had a strong moral compass, enjoyed life and very much appreciated being alive. She was unwavering in her convictions of equality for everyone and of being a good steward of planet earth.

Mimi donated her body to the Anatomical Gift Program at Albany Medical College, which enables students to conduct detailed study of the anatomy of the human body as part of their medical education and research.

She was predeceased by her parents Muriel E. (Smith) Tennis and Edgar M. Tennis, M.D., husband Matthew A. Asbornsen, M.D., and grandson Alexander S. Kasparian. She is survived by her daughters Birgit Asbornsen (Luis Leon) and Karin Kasparian, and grandchildren Pablo Leon, Diego Leon, Christina Kasparian, and Ani Kasparian.

If so wished, donations made in her memory would be appreciated, particularly to the Kinderhook Memorial Library, Wellesley College, or to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society. To leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit www.HansFuneralHome.com.