Barbara Bruns, longtime Eugene resident, world explorer, and avid outdoors-person, passed away peacefully in her home on May 16, 2023. She was 87.
She grew up with two sisters in the San Gabriel Valley and graduated from the University of Redlands. In 1957 she married William Bruns Jr. with whom she made a family. In her professional career she was a risk manager. She is survived by her sister Lois, sons Robert, Wayland, David, and Michael, and grandchildren Mariah, Sam, and James.
With her young family, Barbara moved five times between the west coast and New England, but her heart was captured by the people, climate, and mountains of the Pacific Northwest after her arrival in Bellevue, Washington in 1966.
Barbara’s passion for hiking, cycling and skiing flourished in New England as her children became independent. She began traveling to Europe for backpacking and bike tours, then embarked on more adventurous trips to South America and Asia. She reveled in experiencing different cultures and religions, especially those of Bhutan and Nepal. Her companion during these years was Ralph Heuman who was her second husband.
She moved to Eugene in 1995, finally returning where she
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