Louise Alice Muenzer BRUYN

BRUYN, Louise Alice Muenzer Passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 1, at the age of 94. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1930, to Hans Muenzer, concert violinist and Esther Payne concert pianist. She and her two older brothers, both violinists, grew up surrounded by classical musical. Though she chose to not enter the world of classical music professionally, she became an educator and a modern dancer. She attended the University of Illinois, where she met her husband, Severyn T. Bruyn. After marrying and graduating with a BA in Education and Dance, they moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, where she taught elementary school and he taught Sociology at Illinois College.

In 1966, her husband was offered a tenured position at Boston College. They, along with their children, moved to the east coast to start a new life in Newton, MA. She and her husband became members of the Cambridge Friends Meeting and over the next 55 years, her life changed. In those first years, she taught dance at The Elma Lewis Fine Arts Center in Roxbury, the Newton School for Dance and woodworking classes at The Fayerweather Street School in Cambridge, while becoming a social activist for peace and justice. Based on the Quaker faith in non-violence, she and her husband believed in the power of making change through peaceful actions.

Her call to action became clear when she made the decision to walk from Newton to Washington, D.C., to protest the Vietnam war after reading an article about how Americans had become anesthetized to the atrocities of the war. When she realized she too had become numb, she felt she had to do something. She left Newton in February of 1971 and walked in silent protest for 45 days to speak to the President and to Congress. She was joined by others periodically and kept a daily diary of her experience. 40 years later, she wrote a book entitled "She Walked for All of Us."

In 1975, she was invited to join a group of artists and musicians to organize the first "First Night" in Boston, a New Year's Eve celebration now held across the country.

Starting in the late 1970's, Louise became increasingly active in anti-nuclear and peace organizations. She was one of the founders of Mobilization for Survival, an organization of affiliated grassroots peace and social justice groups working to abolish nuclear weapons, reverse the arms race and meet human needs. In 1982, she was hired by the American Friends Service Committee to organize the Boston contingent to the June 12 Rally for Nuclear Disarmament in New York City. It turned out to be the largest anti-nuclear protest in American history, attracting more than 1 million people.

In 1990, she founded the Green Decade, now known as Green Newton, that became a model for addressing issues of climate change for other cities across the country. Green Newton remains an active resource for Newton residents and continues to have an impact on the city's approach to climate change.

Lastly, she loved nature and was also an artist who painted and sculptured beautifully. It was her creative energy and commitment to a better world that drove her throughout her life. She was a loving mother who cared deeply for her children. She is survived by her two daughters, son and her grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Severyn Bruyn. She will be deeply missed. Donations in her memory can be made to Green Newton at www.greennewton.org A

Celebration of her Life will be held at the Cambridge Friends Meeting sometime in the Spring 2025.