Roberta Lynn Bruns

Roberta Lynn (Carr) Bruns, “Mem,” passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, just one day shy of her 70th birthday, with her husband Kenneth of 50 years by her side. Roberta was a dedicated follower of the Bahá’í Faith and was known for her love, kindness, and generosity. Her passing leaves a hole that cannot be filled, but her legacy of love, strength, kindness, and service to others will continue to live on through her family and friends.

Born in Portland, Maine, to Clarence Carr Jr. and Vera E. (Sawyer) Carr, Roberta grew up in New Gloucester, Maine, with five siblings. She spent part of her childhood with her grandmother, Mary Veilleux, in Portland, where she found comfort in books and spoke fondly of swimming in the Lincoln Park fountain. Roberta excelled in school, and worked at both the New Gloucester and Gray libraries, where she found refuge from her challenging home life. In high school, she discovered the Bahá’í Faith, which became a lifelong source of peace and guidance. She also met Kenneth Bruns, who, for the rest of her life would remain devotedly by her side.

In 1975, Roberta married Ken, and over the next five years, they focused on building their family and improving their life circumstances. This involved moving more than 10 times, in 5 years, including relocating from Maine to Air Force bases in Colorado and Utah. Their remarkable devotion, patience with one another and shared faith were the keystones to their long marriage.

In 1980, the family returned to Maine to be closer to Ken’s parents, Margaret and Charles, and the extended Bruns family. Roberta always remarked on the true warmth and grace that Margaret and Charles, and the Bruns’s extended to her throughout her life. In 1985, the family of seven settled in New Gloucester, where Roberta worked nights as a CNA while managing a household of five children, all under the age of eight. Meanwhile, Ken and his brother Michael started a new business venture which sent Ken out of town for weeks at a time. With their base of operations in a chicken coop, the calculated risk was necessary to improve the life of their family.

As her children grew and the business provided relief from working nights, Roberta became more active in community service. At times, these were organized pursuits—serving on the school board, volunteering for Meals on Wheels and the Gray Food Pantry—but she was also devoted to spiritual service, opening her home for Bahá’í devotions, seekers of spiritual guidance, and holy day celebrations. Her declining health toward the end of her life brought an end to the biweekly devotionals with the Bahá'í community. She deeply missed seeing her dear Bahá’í friends up until the very end.

Roberta seamlessly hosted celebrations for her growing extended family, most notably the weekly Sunday dinners she held for her children and their families which often exceeded 15-20 family members. During the 2020 COVID pandemic, she took on the role of daytime caretaker and teacher for her 6-year-old grandson and 9-year-old granddaughter while their parents worked. In typical fashion, she saw this as a gift rather than a burden, and the opportunity to be with her was a gift to them as well.

Roberta always knew when to assist others quietly and stoically— and those she assisted are far too many to mention -she did not believe in receiving praise for her deeds and truly sought to relieve the suffering of others in any way she could. She believed in living simply and her tremendous capacity to forgive while seeking to understand others and serve anyone in need was a gift to both those she helped and those who witnessed her compassionate and generous nature in action.

Roberta possessed an academic mind; she loved dense texts, writing, daily newspapers, film, poetry, art, good meals in restaurants paired with philosophical conversation, and a daily run. Nothing filled her with joy more than spending time with her children and especially her grandchildren. Even at the end, her biggest concern was for the continued well-being of her grandchildren. Later in life, she developed a true wanderlust, first traveling by train across the United States several times and then flying around the world. Her trips always included museums, plays, history, or simply the abundant beauty of nature. Though she often traveled alone, she spoke most fondly of the trips she took with her granddaughter Lillian.

She is survived by her loving husband, Kenneth; their six children—Erin, Josiah, Leah, Ryan, Neil, and Evan (and his wife, Tahereh Coq-Bruns); her five grandchildren, Lillian, Teagan, Emerson, Bear, and Remi; and her surviving siblings Deborah White, Mary Jo Tufts, Vera Ashley, and Diane Rogers. She is also survived by the large extended Bruns family, whom she considered her own and the feeling was mutual. She also leaves behind too many dear friends to name notably, her beloved Bahá’í friends, whose love always healed her soul in ways nothing else could. She is pre-deceased by her brothers Charlie, George and Mark and sister-in-law Kathleen. The family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care from the Maine Health Cancer Care Network and her wonderful doctor. We will all miss her so very much and will do our best to be of service to the world around us and each other. My mom reminded us that we could always keep talking to her, because she will always be with us, just in a new form.

A Bahá’í graveside service and interment will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland at 11:00am, on February 21, 2025. A Celebration of Life at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home will follow at 12:00 pm with light refreshments after. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to either the Gray Food Pantry, the Maine Domestic Violence Coalition at www.mcedv.org, the Gray or New Gloucester libraries, or you can just be of service to those around you.

Please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to leave condolences for the family and sign Roberta’s online guestbook.