A life of activism, friendship and laughs

 

Dorelen ‘‘Dorie’’ Bunting left a legacy of activism solidified in brick and mortar at the Peace and Justice Center on Yale. Co-founder of the center and a friend of the University, Dorie passed away last Sunday at the age of 101.

Known for her laugh, Dorie continuously brought joy into her activism, Robin Feydel said. Feydel was a close friend of Dorie’s. They met working on anti-nuclear activism, specifically opposing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plan – a nuclear waste site in Carlsbad.

“Dorie brought joy to the work, no matter how hard that work was, how sad it was and how sometimes you just feel one step closer to (taking) two steps back in this work. But she always helped you find a path forward in a positive way and brought joy and laughter to it,” Feydel said.

Dorie passed peacefully, surrounded by her family at Casa de Paz Senior Assisted Living facility. She moved to Albuquerque in 1948 and had grown up watching the rise of fascism in Germany. Both Feydel and her son Findlay Bunting said her time in Germany – alongside the Quaker religion, in which she began her practice young – was deeply influential in her activism.

“Those two together forged a pacifistic strain that she carried, she evolved, she developed it all her life. It just got more and more refined because she worked as a peace acti- vist for many years,” Bunting said.

Dorie cared for her friends like family without hesitation. While she was dealing with the loss of her late husband, Feydel moved in with Dorie after going through a divorce.This time spent living together, Feydel said, was very important to her.

“It is a recognition that we are all one human family, and Dorie understood that to the greatest degree I think (out) of anybody in a deep, deep way. And that was some of the

magnificence of her as a person,” Feydel said.

The home Feydel lived in with Dorie was also the site of a lot of the activism work she accomplished.

“We had many meetings there – sitting around after the meeting, cleaning up with her, and then often finishing off the bottle of wine that got left behind, and laughing

and talking deeply about the state of the world. You know, that was something we did regularly,” Feydel said.

The role Dorie played as an activist in the community was very influential. Feydel described Dorie sitting quietly in meetings listening and then speaking up – piecing together all of the strands discussed into a solution at the end.

“She had this uncanny ability to show people the connection between their different viewpoints and how to move forward together in a positive way. And I think that was another one of her great gifts, in addition to her marvelous giggle” Feydel said.

As a mom, Bunting said he most vividly remembers her storytelling and the voices she used for different characters. Getting her master’s at the University of New Mexico, Bun-

ting said he recalls her obsession with learning and literature.

“My sister and I remember her voices. The way (in) which she would voice the characters - it was hilarious and she really enjoyed giving voice to each character,” Bunting said.

Quiet, humble, steely and principled were adjectives Bunting used to describe who his mom was. “She’d have hoped that young people would take up that fight and take up that advocacy, because it’s really important to our survival,” Bunting said.

Alongside Findlay Bunting, Dorie is survived by her daughter Meredith and three grandchildren, Ximena and Feliciana Puig and Walker Bunting, as well as four great-grandchildren. Her daughter Emily and husband Bainbridge Bunting predeceased her.

“Patience, compassion, and more compassion, empathy to find a way to stay positive and just keep doing the work – that was her example no matter how horrendous it seemed, no matter what was going on,’’ Feydel said. ‘‘Just find a way to move through it in a loving way, in a positive way.’’

Maddie Pukite is the editor-in-chief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite

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