Loomis, Louise Earle
Louise Earle Loomis, Ed.D., dedicated educator and leader in critical thinking, died at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut on April 22, 2023. Born November 28, 1928, in New York City to Charlotte Harding and Walter Keese Earle, she grew up in Manhattan and Cold Spring Harbor, NY. A graduate of The Chapin School in New York, and Bryn Mayr College, she wed Alfred Worthington Loomis (Worth) in 1950. They spent a year in Turkey, an experience which shaped her lifelong interest in improving people's lives. They moved to Cleveland OH in 1951, where all six of their children were born. Always active in local community and civil rights work, in 1963 she helped arrange the Rev. Martin Luther King's visit St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
She started her career in education as a science teacher at Audubon Junior High in Cleveland where she founded the Human Relations Club for students. When she and Worth moved to Hartford in 1970, she taught science at Weaver High School, and later earned a Master's in Urban Education from the University of Hartford, and Doctorate in Creative Education from the University of Massachusetts. After retiring from classroom teaching, she stayed active in education for decades, leading seminars and workshops across the state and country in critical creative thinking and problem solving. She founded the New England Cognitive Center (NECC), and later the ThinkWell Center LLC in Hartford and cofounded Trinity Academy at Trinity Episcopal Church. Lou had an appointment as an Assistant Professor at Hartford College for Women, and held adjunct positions at Fairfield University, Goodwin College, and the University of Hartford.
She and Worth lived in the West End of Hartford for 38 years, before moving to Duncaster in Bloomfield. She was active with multiple community organizations, including the Artist Collective where she was on the board for many years. She has been recognized for her contributions to the greater Hartford community with many awards, including the University of Hartford Alumnus Anchor Award, the Children's Museum's 2020/21 Youth Champion Award, and was one of 30 exceptional women featured by Hartford Magazine in 2019. In November 2022 she received a special recognition from Senator Richard Blumenthal for championing Early Childhood Education. Throughout her career, she maintained a forward-thinking approach to life, and a dedication to making a difference for all. "I don't see myself slowing down, education is important for everyone, and if I can help someone learn, it's what I am going to do as long as I can." are words her family and all who knew her will strive to live by. We celebrate her brilliant mind, her kind heart and her generosity that has made a difference in the lives of so many others.
She is survived by five children (Lucy, of Denver, Ruth of Los Angeles, Alfred of New York City, Charles of Philadelphia and Charlotte of San Diego), nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. She was preceded in death by a daughter Susan (1957) and her husband Worth Loomis (2017).
Services will be held at on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10 AM, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Sigourney St., Hartford, CT. In lieu of flowers, or other durable items, charitable donations can be made in her name to the Trinity Academy or the Women's Advancement Initiative at the University of Hartford. Arrangements are being handled by The Ahern Funeral Homes, Inc., www.ahernfuneralhome.com.
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