Louise K. Kolb, teacher and tutor

Louise Keyes Kolb of Ridgefield died on Friday, June 3, 2005, at her home surrounded by her family. She was the wife of Todd L. Kolb.

Mrs. Kolb was born in Syracuse, N.Y., daughter of Robert W. and Olivia Bigelow Keyes. She graduated from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., attended Syracuse University, and earned her master’s degree from Western Connecticut State University in 1995.

Mrs. Kolb was employed by IBM in New York City and had been a teacher for the Utica, N.Y. public school system.

A Ridgefielder since 1981, Mrs. Kolb was a volunteer coordinator at the Ridgefield Family Y and was active in the Ridgefield Coalition for Community Action, which promoted activities for young people in the 1980s. She was also a member and publicity chair of the Ridgefield Woman’s Club. Mrs. Kolb was also instrumental in the founding of the Ridgefield Senior Men’s Club.

For the past 10 years, Mrs. Kolb had tutored more than 400 students in the Writing Lab at WestConn. “Louise is a favorite here,” Professor Abbey Zink said in 2004. “People ask for her, specifically.”

In her honor of her 10 years of volunteer work at the Writing Lab, the university established “The Louise Kolb Award” to be given each year to two students enrolled at the university’s School of Art &Sciences.

Mrs. Kolb was a lifetime member of the Female Charitable Society of Baldwinsville, N.Y., had been a deacon in the Presbyterian Church of Darien, and a member of the Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.

Besides her husband of 39 years, Mrs. Kolb is survived by a son Michael B. Kolb of Danbury; two daughters, Molly Olivia Roffman of Yonkers, N.Y., and Nancy Lee Cook of St. Petersburg, Fla.; a brother, Dr. Robert W. Keyes III of Harrisburg, Pa.; and three grandchildren, Otis B. Roffman, Benjamin L. Roffman and Lauren Grace Cook.

Memorial services took place on Wednesday in the Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Danbury Hospital Development Fund for Oncology Nursing Education, 24 Hospital Avenue, Danbury, CT 06810.