Baltimore, Md. – Lois (Cohen) Greenebaum passed away peacefully at the age of 95, surrounded her beloved family.
A highly intelligent and thoughtful woman, she led her life with integrity, strong values, purpose, and wisdom. She was the definition of a capable matriarch. She deeply valued friends and family.
Born and raised in Charleston, S.C., she had a wonderful childhood and moved to Baltimore in 1949 to attend Goucher College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. Upon graduating in 1953, she married her beloved, Leonard Greenebaum who graduated from John’s Hopkins University. They met at the Suburban Club of Baltimore and were married in 1953. They remained deeply in love and committed to one another for nearly 70 years until his passing in 2022.
Before beginning her family, Lois proudly taught third grade students at Fallstaff Elementary School. She enjoyed community service work and served on the board of directors of the National Council for Jewish Women. For most of her time in Baltimore she was a proud member of Har Sinai Congregation and then briefly Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. Lois and Leonard were lifelong, dedicated members of the Suburban Club where they enjoyed spending time with many friends, along with sharing their love of tennis and golf for years. Lois enjoyed many hobbies and took them very seriously, especially with her love for and dedication to the game of bridge, where she proudly accomplished the impressive achievement of reaching the Silver Life Masters level, earning over 1,000 points. In addition, she loved to travel and did so extensively throughout the world with her beloved husband Leonard, many friends, and extended family. Lois enjoyed gourmet cooking, writing poetry, flower arranging, entertaining, and appreciated fine art.
However, most important to her was the family she began in 1957. She was a devoted mother of two girls, Lynn (Greenebaum) Sachs, and Carol (Greenebaum) Hess. As a caring and compassionate woman, she dedicated her life to raising her girls and made sacrifices to ensure they had a full and rich childhood, encouraging each of their natural interests. She instilled them with a great value system; encouraging hard work, perseverance, compassion, honesty, and integrity. In addition, she loved her sons-in-law, John Hess and Jeff Sachs and found such joy spending time with and traveling with the four of them to some of their favorite locations including St. Thomas, USVI, Palm Desert, Callif., and Naples, Fla. Later, she welcomed and loved whole heartedly her grandchildren and great grandchild, whom she also enjoyed sharing the world with—through travel and celebrating so many happy occasions together.
Lois loved and valued her younger brother, Edgar Cohen, and often shared wonderful stories of their childhood in Charleston.
Lois’s wisdom and grace will be cherished by her beloved surviving family members, brother- and sister-law: Edgar and Joy Cohen; daughters and son-in-law’s: Lynn and Jeff Sachs, Carol and John Hess; grandchildren: Julie Hess, Michael Hess (Aimee Hess), Sara Sachs, Rachel Sachs; and great granddaughter: Savannah Hess; nieces and nephews: Sue (Rich) Baxt and Nancy Greenebaum (Noel Levy); and great nieces.
Services were private. Contributions in her memory may be sent to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Gilchrist Hospice Care, Crohn’s and Colitus Foundation, American Cancer Society, or the charity of the donor’s choice.