Laine Whitcomb

Laine Whitcomb, 81, of New York City, died peacefully on August 8, 2025. Born in Fort Worth, to John and Marian Crocker Whitcomb, Laine graduated from Monterrey High School in Lubbock and The University of Texas in Austin. Laine was fiercely independent, undeniably loyal and incredibly artistic. A world traveler her whole life, she explored the jungles, climbed the mountains and relished the adventure. She managed to live big in a world that wasn't ready for brilliant, risk-taking single women, and combined worldliness with gentleness and grace. After college she lived in the forests of Northern California and then spent years in Europe and Africa with her dog Friend, before settling for the last 50 years of her life in the East Village. She was an editor for The Wall Street Transcript and a published photographer, and her art felt like secrets and celebrations, intimate and truthful. She found beauty in the obscure, something interesting in the mundane; and she had a gift for making people feel seen. Laine had a unique way of reframing perspectives, whether it was with her camera or in life. She accepted you right where you were and loved you softly. Laine is preceded in death by her parents, and her sister Pamela Whitcomb Friend. She leaves behind her loving aunt Gillian Whitcomb, her nieces and nephews Trip Friend (Aimee), Fontaine Dearth (Robert), Whit Friend (Renee) and Phaedra Friend Troy, as well as seven great nieces and nephews, a god son, several cousins and many lifelong friends. Her beloved New York City and the friends and neighbors she made there became family, and we are thankful for their love and support. Special thanks also to the dedicated doctors, nurses, social workers and support staff at Langone Hospital who cared for Laine in her final days.