GINA WEINER

WEINER--Gina Ingoglia,

of Brooklyn Heights, a writer, artist, landscape designer, and tireless volunteer for NYC causes, died at home on March 17, 2015, of cancer. She was 76. Under her professional name Gina Ingoglia, she wrote more than 80 books for children, including the award-winning The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups, which features her lucid descriptions and luminous paintings of North American trees. Among the institutions for which she volunteered are Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where she cofounded the Florilegium Society of botanic artists; Brooklyn Historical Society (a Vice Chair); Prospect Park Alliance (Trustee, Program Chair); The Acting Company (Education Chair); New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (Trustee, Secretary); Historic House Trust of NYC (Directors' Council member); and Mount Vernon Hotel Museum (garden advisor). The daughter of artist Frank Ingoglia and writer and artist Danis Gerdes Ingoglia, Gina grew up in Forest Hills Gardens. She received her BA (and an honorary PhD) from Dickinson College in PA, where she met her beloved husband of 53 years, Earl D. Weiner. Gina held a BS in landscape architecture from Rutgers, and designed graceful spaces in New York and New England. As devoted as she was to her many pursuits, she somehow found bottomless time for family. From her hand-drawn valentines to her hilarious emails to her unrivaled turkey soup, she was a master of daily gestures that never let loved ones forget what lay at the heart of her generous life. She is survived by Earl; her daughter, Melissa Balmain Weiner; her son, John Barlow Weiner; her son-in-law, William J. FitzPatrick; her daughter-in-law, Caroline P. Schaefer; and her grandchildren, David and Lily FitzPatrick. In lieu of sending flowers, the family suggests donating to one of Gina's favorite organizations. A celebration of her life will be held this spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.