Patricia Bruhn, a resident of Darien, passed away peacefully at home at the age of 91 on May 8, surrounded by her loving family.
Patricia Bruhn, 91, passed away on May 13. Her funeral will be held on Saturday, May 31.
She was born Patricia Anne Ruth Brown on Jan. 16, 1934, in Toronto, Canada to Ethel and Harold Brown, and was predeceased by her two older brothers, Bud and Bill (Carolyn) Brown.
After graduating high school in Gananoque, Ontario, Pat attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She began her career as a copywriter in the advertising department at Canada’s large T. Eaton Company in Toronto in the 1950s. This is where she met her future husband and the love of her life, Dieter, who arrived from northern Germany in 1957.
In the early 1960s, she moved on to the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.
On May 19, 1961, Pat and Dieter got married and later became proud parents to Nanette and Melina.
In 1968, the young family moved to Hamburg, Germany to follow an opportunity for Dieter’s career. During that time, Pat worked primarily as a translator (German into English), specializing in advertising and marketing copy. In 1980, the publishing company Dieter worked for offered to transfer him to the New York City office, which brought the family to Darien the same year.
Soon, Pat was ready to finally get back into full-time writing; she subsequently accepted a copywriting position at Sotheby’s International Realty in New York City.
In 1988, Pat suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a taxi in Manhattan, where she was hospitalized at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. After being released she was transferred to Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains, New York, where she gradually learned and regained her communication skills, including speaking and writing.
After returning home from Burke she continued her recovery for many years. With a zest for life and creativity, she finally started writing again, by contributing to the local papers, including the Darien Times. Her stories often talked about meeting various well-known personalities as well as covering happenings in and around town.
Pat was a longtime member of Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Darien, where she sang in the choir for some years. In addition, she acted in various local plays and participated in programs and events at the Darien Library, DCA and the Senior Center. She also belonged to the International Club and volunteered at Darien Book Aid Plan.
Pat and Dieter enjoyed sailing together with family and friends at Noroton Yacht Club and boating at the Darien Boat Club. Crossing the Long Island Sound by sailboat, she frequently pulled out her ukulele, singing some of her favorite songs, with the family singing along in harmony. Her outgoing personality matched her liking for all types of music styles, including country, folk, gospel and classical.
Pat was a fun and outgoing person who loved people from all walks of life. She was also a very talented artist, who always looked to improve her skills. She took courses in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, performing arts at the Juilliard school and creative writing at NYU.
In 1998, she started putting together a collection of all her various writings, sketches, songs, poems, rap and photos from before and after her accident in her book Taxi & HOLES IN MY HEAD: Serendipity Divine (unpublished).
With her great love for New York City, she enjoyed regular visits to MoMA where she was a member, the Metropolitan Opera, City Ballet, and Philharmonic. As a TDF (Theater Development Fund) member, Pat made sure she and her family attended as many Broadway musicals and plays as possible.
She also loved dancing to ‘live’ bands at the outdoor festivals at Lincoln Center. A good tennis player herself, she enjoyed watching the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York. The family also met on a yearly basis at the famous Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station for her birthday.
“Mom, we love you.”
She is survived by Dieter, her husband of 64 years, and daughters Nanette and Melina, as well as in-laws Jeanne Brown (Canada) and Olaf and Marianne Bruhn (Germany), and many beloved cousins, nephews, nieces and dear friends near and far.
A service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Saint Luke’s Church, 1864 Post Road, Darien.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s memory may be made to Person to Person in Darien or the Brain Injury Association of New York State.
— an obituary from the Darien Times on Legacy.com, where online condolences may be left