Lois Kellerman died in Florida on September 21, 2026. She had moved there with her caretaker in her final illness.  Born August 5, 1944, she married Harold (Hal) Kellerman in 1967.

Lois became involved with the Ethical movement in Manhattan. After volunteer involvement, she entered the Leadership training program. She served an internship with the New York Society in the 1980s, and was part of a cohort of younger women Leaders who were not always fully respected as equals by their male colleagues. She brought with her experience in education and administration.

Lois served part-time as Leader in Queens and in Brooklyn, beginning in the late 1980s. She and Hal moved to California in the late 1990s for Hal’s technical career in Silicon Valley. Hal died in 2017, and Lois briefly moved back to Brooklyn, while dealing with increased memory problems.

Lois was a key organizer and welcoming presence at the annual fall RE conferences for much of her time in the movement. She chaired the AEU Leadership Committee during the later years of her tenure, heading a redevelopment of the curriculum. She was largely responsible for organizing movement-wide discussion, based initially on a draft she wrote, that resulted in the Eight Commitments of Ethical Culture / Ethical Humanism. A workbook she designed for Coming of Age study was used for some years by other Societies, as well as Brooklyn. She was a popular and active wedding officiant, with her own unique style.

Lois also chaired a monthly forum at Columbia University of academics and practitioners on the ethical development of children. She was a graduate of the second class of the Humanist Institute.

Lois was especially notable for her heart-centered and multigenerational approach to ethical development, while also seeking more intellectual rigor behind our practices.  She was poetic in her language, often, and in later years drew many intuition-driven “napkin” sketches.

In 2002, Viking published Lois’ book, Marriage From the Heart. She used the Eight Commitments, applied to relationships, to structure the book. Ironically, her editor with whom she worked closely was named Nellie Bly: Lois’ mother had much earlier written a popular children’s biography of the historical figure who went by the name Nellie Bly.

She is survived by her beloved son, David Kellerman, currently living in New York City.

Lois had an enormous heart, including for family, friends, members, colleagues, and the Ethical Movement itself. She overcame many tough challenges in life and her careers, while still maintaining an openness to love, joy, and possibility.

This memorial was written by Ethical Culture Leader Jone Johnson Lewis.