Mary L. Kohnstamm

MAISIE KOHNSTAMM, 92, died February 20, 2018, surrounded by her children. A celebration of her life will take place February 24, 2pm at Meadow Ridge, Redding, CT. 

Five decades a resident of Pound Ridge, NY, Maisie was known for her unquenchable thirst for life. Co-founder of The Tuesday Consort, she performed baroque music for weddings over 30 years. As a social worker and child advocate, Maisie worked for Family Services Bridgeport, and Green Chimneys, a residency for children, and as adjunct social work faculty at Fordham U. Maisie returned to academia in her 40s to complete her BS and MSW at Sarah Lawrence and Columbia.

Maisie was a life-long volunteer and would purchase her cars based on their ability to carry Meals-on-Wheels dinners over 18 years. She mentored a schoolboy weekly, from first through HS, taught viola at an afterschool program, and visited life-sentenced inmates at Danbury Prison into her late 80s. She taught a generation of Pound Ridge residents to swim in her pool and donated the proceeds to the local library. Maisie never sought recognition for the many lives she changed.

Maisie's love of music encompassed her. She was active in countless bands and orchestras, often four concurrently, including the Norwalk Symphony and the Westport Community Band, performing for stage performances or "A Tuba Christmas" at the Kennedy Center in Washington. A life-long learner, Maisie decided to take up brass instruments in her 70s.

Maisie was an inveterate walker, dog-owner, rug "hooker," gardener and a discerningly voracious consumer of literature - friends found it difficult to keep up with her. The signature red hair of her youth signaled the speed that which Maisie charged through life.

Married to Paul Kohnstamm for 56 years, Maisie adored the chapter of her life in Pound Ridge, in a rambling house that raised six children with the help of her housekeeper Annie. The home housed exchange students, boarders and way too many dogs, cats and animals and did not have a key until sold in 1994. Maisie was astute about making the next moves in her life, first to New Canaan, then to Meadow Ridge Senior Living in Redding, CT, and seemingly never looked back.

Mary Ann "Maisie" Loeb was born May 20, 1925, the younger daughter of Mary Frank Loeb and Willard Eugene Loeb, both of NYC. Her ashes will be spread in two beloved places: Pound Ridge and the Long Island Sound.

Maisie leaves behind three sons and two daughters, 11 grandchildren, and "2.5" greats. She lost her eldest son Kenneth in 2013 and her husband Paul in 2001. Her remaining children are Peter, Daniel and Joshua Kohnstamm, Katherine Piven and Emily Beal. Maisie was steeped in the lives of her grandchildren, who were perhaps her greatest passion, who were spread throughout the country but visited her regularly.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Maisie's honor should be directed to Green Chimneys.org. Maisie just never let up, and we are so thankful for her love and presence in our lives.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary L. Kohnstamm, please visit our floral store.