Laine Katz

Laine R Katz


GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON, DC - Laine R Katz, 81, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.


She was born January 5, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of the late Marcus and Leona Ginn. She graduated from Kingswood High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with a B.A. She also studied at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University as well as Japanese for many years at the University of Maryland.


Her zest for life was expressed by her devotion to her family, her passion for art and travel and her commitment to her friends. Mrs. Katz was a student of Asian literature, art and culture, as well as an educator, and her horizons were widened by a residence in London in the late 1960s. She found cultural translation truly rewarding while working for the Washington DC offices of the Mainichi Shimbun & Nihon Keizai Shimbun in the 1980s. She shared her knowledge, insight and perspectives on Asian & Indian art for more than 25 years as a docent at the Freer-Sackler Galleries, and prior to that as a docent at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, always seeking to enable the viewer to experience and appreciate more. She loved travel, with a particular focus on art history, and trips to Japan, India, Korea, China, France, Italy and Spain were highlights. An avid tennis player, she graced the courts at St. Albans tennis club for many decades, and also was an intrepid skier.


Mrs. Katz was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her beloved husband of 60 years, Norton N. Katz, her daughter and son-in-law, Jody Katz-Gibbs and Jeffrey Gibbs of Arlington, Virginia, her son Bruce Katz of New York, New York, two grand-sons David and Michael Gibbs, of Atlanta, Georgia and Arlington, Virginia, and her brother and sister-in-law, James and Sally Ginn of Franklin Hills, Michigan and Scottsdale, Arizona. Mrs. Katz had a wide circle of wonderful friends in Washington, DC, who enriched her life immeasurably.


Mrs. Katz successfully battled cancer of various types since 1969, and was grateful to her various teams of doctors who enabled her to live happily and productively for many decades longer than she had expected.


Arrangements: The funeral will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 1st at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb Street, N.W., Washington, DC. Burial will follow at Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park, Clarksburg, Maryland.


Shiva will be held at the home of the deceased and dates and times will be announced at the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her honor may be made to the Laine R. Katz Fund at the Freer - Sackler Galleries.