Lois Keiner

New York, New York — Lois Nancy Keiner, passed away on August 12, 2023, after a very brief illness. Lois was born to Ruth (“Ruthie”) and Charles Keiner and grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was her home and her neighborhood.

She graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York, with a degree in Sociology. Many will remember Lois for her distinguished professional career as a long-time buyer of the home goods we all loved from Bloomingdales’ and for the gorgeous linens and bedding which she designed for Matouk.

She was a woman ahead of her time, travelling throughout the world to find only the best. No matter the country, Lois could always tell you what to buy, what not to buy, where to stay and which of her friends were waiting to welcome you.

While at ease anywhere in the world, she was happiest amongst her friends and family in her community that she called home on the Upper East side. She was greeted in restaurants and shops by name, and she knew the names and the stories of those who greeted her. She relished spending time with her friends and the time she spent volunteering at the Frick.

Lois was by nature a giver and a caretaker. She valued true friendship and, although she was too polite to ever admit it, did not suffer fools well. To truly know her was to know you were cared for deeply. She knew how to make you feel special. Lois possessed an elegance, dignity, grace and a sharp sense of humor, which is all too rare in the world, and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Lois was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Richard Keiner. She is survived by her second cousin, Jarlyth Hancock Gibson, and her son Thomas (“Tripp”) Francis Gibson III to whom she was an honorary grandmother; her first cousins Barbara Gottsman; Franny Rotkopf; Sandra Stander; Joyce Young; her first cousin by marriage Betty Stander and her daughters, Gabrielle Stander and Emilie Stander; and, her dear friend Julie Marini.

As in life, Lois has asked that her service be kept private. In lieu of flowers we believe the best way to celebrate Lois’s life is to make a donation to the Lustgarten Foundation or take a loved one out for a good Italian dinner in her honor.