Libby Kanowitz

Libby Kanowitz

Libby Kanowitz died peacefully on September 7, 2021 at St. Paul's Towers in Oakland, CA. Born on a dairy farm in Eastman, Georgia in 1925, Libby was the daughter of Hilton and Hattie Mae Belflower. After graduating from high school in Coconut Grove, Florida, she received two full ride scholarships to college but was dissuaded from attending by her family. Instead, Libby embarked on a rich and full life that was influenced by multiple intellectual pursuits including a life-long interest in Japan and in Nutrition. After meeting her husband, Leo Kanowitz, the two moved to Berkeley which, in spite of traveling and living in multiple cities in the US and abroad, always remained "home". Libby was a cofounder of the International Women's Club at UC Berkeley and has had several baby girls named after her from around the world. She was an early adopter of Adelle Davis's approach to nutrition with an emphasis on natural foods. An early and important influence on her life was Rachel Carsen's "Silent Spring". When her husband announced that he was planning on retiring, she shared with him that she also planned to retire…from cooking. She was able to convince her husband to make their first visit to Japan in the mid-1970s and together they revisited the country almost 40 times. In the 1960's, Libby suggested to Leo, a law professor, that he might want to consider writing a book on Women and the Law. He took her up on her suggestion and wrote a groundbreaking book on the subject. Libby was an avid gardener, worked closely with an architect in the 1960's in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to build a modern home inspired by Mies Van Der Rohe and had an aesthetic eye that was ahead of its time. Wherever she was, Libby created a home that welcomed people from all over the world. She was an inspiration to all who met her, particularly to women, always encouraging and supporting them to have aspirations and offering practical and sound advice on how to achieve them. She will be greatly missed. Libby is survived by two daughters; Toni Gardner of Port Townsend, WA and Carrie Niederer of Santa Fe, NM. She has three grandsons, Jesse and Cody Gardner and Jonathan Niederer, grandsons Chase and Ian Gardner and great granddaughter Jules Gardner. Donations may be made in her name to Planned Parenthood or Sutter Hospice.