Betty Bloch Kohn

A native of Napoleonville, Louisiana, Kohn was born on March 13, 1924, the only child of Alma Lemmel Bloch and Maurice Bloch. She attended Napoleonville High School, where she was a star athlete and valedictorian. Upon graduation, she enrolled at Newcomb College, making lifelong friends as a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. She later attended Soule Business College.

In 1948, Betty married the love of her life, Ira M. Kohn. They were married for 64 years, during which they traveled the world, entertained friends and family and hosted black-tie parties. She was especially known for her magnificent needlepoints and amazing gardening skills.

Betty and Ira owned and operated The Leader Store in Napoleonville, where longtime employees were like family. The department store, located along Bayou Lafourche, sold everything from fabric and furniture to lingerie and jewelry. When December rolled around, Santa Claus was a fixture, inviting kids from miles around to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. The Kohns closed the 100-year-old store in 1990 and donated the building and property to nearby Nicholls State University.

Betty was also known for her love of community, donating to various causes with special meaning to her, including Touro Synagogue, where she provided the funds to redo the chapel and the entire main sanctuary. She also established the Betty Bloch Kohn Women’s Athletic Scholarship at Nicholls State University, and the Ira and Betty Kohn College Scholarship Fund at Jewish Children’s Regional Service.

She received numerous awards and honors throughout her life, including the L’Chayim Award from Touro Synagogue in 2002, which she shared with Ira. She served as honorary chair of the Saks Key to the Cure in 2013 and as co-chair of the event of 2015. In 2019, at age 95, she was honored by Jewish Children’s Regional Service, another agency close to her heart.

Betty was a past president of the Touro Synagogue Sisterhood and the AEPhi New Orleans Alumni Association. She was a district vice president of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and chairman of the Louisiana Federation of Temple Sisterhood’s District Convention. She also served on the boards of the National Council of Jewish Women of Greater New Orleans, Touro Infirmary Women’s Auxiliary, Touro Synagogue, Jewish Community Center, Brandeis Women’s Group and the Arthritis Foundation Auxiliary. She was a life member of the Touro Synagogue Sisterhood and the National Council of Jewish Women and was a Lion of Judah through the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

Nothing meant more to Betty than family, especially her husband Ira, who passed away in 2012, and her children Frances and Julian Koch and Robert and Millie Kohn. She adored her grandchildren Benjamin and Courtney Koch, Ashley Funes and Bill Funes. To them she was known as Meme or Bebe. She was thrilled when her beautiful red-headed twin great grandchildren – Ivy Koch and Asher Koch – entered the world.

Betty’s family would like to thank all those who cared for Betty in her later years. They are especially grateful to Sue Singer, R.N. for her love, compassion and caring. They also want to thank Betty’s medical staff — Dr. Joshua Lowentritt, Dr. Christine Cao, Dr. Michael Glade, Dr. Marc Glovinsky, Dr. Margie Kahn and Dr. Richard Loeb Meyer, Jr. Others deserving of thanks include Beverly Kuykendall, Deborah Squire, Delores Trimble, Deiadra Ellis, the staff of St. Joseph Hospice and Betty’s dear friend Wilfred “Buddy” Kullman.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. for family only. Friends and the community are welcome to join the service via livestream at the Touro Synagogue web site – tourosynagogue.com.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Betty can make donations to Touro Synagogue, 4238 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70115 or Jewish Children’s Regional Service, 3500 N. Causeway Blvd. Suite 1120, Metairie, LA., 70002.