Naomi (Santiago) Loomis

Naomi Loomis, 88, of Jamaica Queens NY, passed away on March 17th, 2023 surrounded by her children and grandchildren who loved her. A service in remembrance of Naomi Loomis will take place on Friday, March 31st at The Church of Ascension at 5 pm, located on Fifth Avenue at Tenth Street.

Naomi Loomis was born in 1934 to Julia Ramos and Eustaquio Santiago in Ponce, Puerto Rico, USA. She moved to New York when she was ten years old. Naomi graduated from Straubenmuller Textile High School in New York City in 1953. She then went on to work in customer service at the McGraw Hill Publishing company. Naomi met her husband, Wilber Loomis at St. Peter’s church while he was a seminary student at Union Theological Seminary, in the NYC neighborhood of Chelsea. Naomi was baptized and initiated into the Episcopal Church by Bishop Paul Moore. Christianity and life in the Episcopal Church were important to them both. In 1955 they married at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Paterson, New Jersey. They began their life together in Paterson, New Jersey, before moving to Jamaica Queens in the late 1960s where they raised their two children, Naomi Ruth, and Geoffrey Loomis. 

Naomi became a well-known presence at her children’s elementary school as an active member of the P.T.A. When her children graduated she remained, serving as a NY Dept. of Education Paraprofessional, assisting teachers and the needs of students for over fifty years. She made many friends and helped generations of students throughout her years working there. Naomi retired in March 2020, in the midst of the CoVid pandemic, and regrettably did not have a proper acknowledgment of her long years of service because of it. Naomi was a lively, elegant, kind and compassionate woman who loved to help people do good. She was a loving, devoted, and supportive mother. Naomi had a love for dance and music that she expressed and enjoyed until her last days. She loved flowers and gardening and was known for beautifying the grounds surrounding the apartment building where she lived. A tree she planted there, now five stories tall, still remains. She was a devout Christian and attended the Church of the Ascension for most of her life. 

During the CoVid pandemic, Naomi moved to live with her daughter in Massachusetts for safety. Alzheimer's had begun to take its toll on her, but Naomi was able to recognize her closest family even at the very end. 

Naomi was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Wilber Loomis, and her brother Florentino Santiago. She is survived by her children Naomi Ruth Loomis-Bennett and Geoffrey St.James Loomis, their spouses Robert and Goussy, her niece Sheila Santiago, her cousin Naomi Ramos, the mother of her first grandson, Cara as well as her grandchildren, Rose Bennett, Liam Loomis-Muhlhahn, Evan Loomis, and Isan Loomis. She also leaves behind friends and colleagues that she has known for decades.

Please do not send flowers to the church. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

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