Louisa Giaccone Kroner

April 17, 1937 - September 5, 2026

Louisa Giaccone Kroner, artist, teacher, cook, mother, wife, Nonna and friend to everyone she met, died at home surrounded by family, after a long illness. She was 89.

Louisa was born in Brooklyn to Bartolomeno Giacomo Giaccone, a chef, and Felicia Giaccone (née Marino), and spent her first twelve years in Bay Ridge. In 1948, her father moved the family upstate and opened a restaurant where Louisa waitressed and helped in the kitchen. It was during this time she learned early that feeding people is one way of loving them and creating connections.

Louisa then moved to Manhattan to study painting after being recruited by Parsons and receiving a full scholarship for tuition. During college she studied in Sicily and Florence, becoming fluent in Italian while performing archaeological digs. After college, she earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York University. She later went on to receive two additional master's degrees, one in Art Education and the third in Art Therapy. On April 12, 1965, she married Richard Kroner. They started a family while living in New York City. In 1970 they moved to Morris Plains, NJ where Louisa began a long career as an art educator, and ultimately moved to Mountain Lakes, NJ where they raised their two children Joshua and Felicia, and lived for 30 years.

Louisa was a lifelong artist, painter and devoted educator of the arts. Louisa's creativity found expression through many different mediums. Although she exhibited her work in galleries, her greatest joy came from the creative process itself and from sharing her art as gifts to those she loved. Louisa had a deep passion for art education and a remarkable gift for connecting with her students. She encouraged them to embrace their creativity by seeing things through their "mind's eye", inspiring them to see the world with imagination.

Louisa was not only an artist by profession but she had an immense love for all forms of artistic expression. During her leisure time she would often be found visiting museums, educating those of us lucky enough to be able to experience the museums with her. She was passionate about art and people said she knew more than most docents. She also derived great joy from attending live classical symphonies, operas and Broadway musicals, which were a frequent outing for her and Richard. In addition she loved to travel and collect art from all over the world, which was beautifully displayed in her home alongside her own art. As another form of artistic expression, and in her truest form as a devoted mother, Louisa started doing the floral arrangements at her son's restaurant in 1998. She continued this practice weekly for almost 30 years.

Louisa found great solace in nature. She could often be seen running through the woods, picking leaves and flowers, marveling at the beauty of the rocks, the trees and the clouds. She loved being outdoors and loved the water. For 4 consecutive years from age 77-80 she swam across the Hudson River from Newburgh to Beacon, crossing a one mile stretch of river with active currents. She was always active and always happiest while in movement.

Food was one way Louisa showed love to people. What she learned in her grandmother's kitchen she passed on to her own children, and over the course of her life she cooked for thousands. She hosted Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Easter every year, with parties growing to 30-40 people, sometimes more, as Louisa welcomed everyone into her home and kitchen. Her philosophy was "the more the merrier," so she opened her door and her heart to those who didn't have family nearby. These parties were never just meals. Louisa was the glue that held the family together, and she used those tables to make sure everyone stayed connected, whatever else was going on in their lives. Her lasagna will be remembered by many.

Anyone who has visited Louisa's home knows that when you walk through the doors you are greeted with a hug, followed by an immediate 5-star meal, glass of wine or coffee, along with an open ear and undivided attention. Her single greatest accomplishment was how many lives she has deeply touched. She was a truly remarkable woman with so much love in her heart. Louisa greeted everyone she met with a hug and a kiss - family, friends, the cook, the neighbor, the stranger she met while walking her dog Jaco. She always put others ahead of herself without ever seeming to notice she was doing it. Louisa found beauty in everything and everyone. Above all, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, whom she adored tremendously. Being a Nonna was her greatest joy in life.

Louisa's biggest love was her family. She is survived by her son Joshua and daughter-in-law Betty Contreras; her daughter Felicia and son-in-law Scott Black; her four loving grandchildren, Sofia, Leo, Juliette and Ysabella; her brother Vinny Giaccone and sister-in-law Christine, along with many loving cousins and friends. She will be deeply missed by many.

"There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people" - Vincent van Gogh

A celebration of her beautiful life will be held in November. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to The Alzheimer's Association