Anita Kunin

Anita Faye Hochfeld Kunin passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Wednesday, September 23rd. She was 95.

Anita was a pillar of her community, and will be much missed. She had a unique combination of elegance and groundedness, combining grace and grit in a way that made her both elevated and down to earth at the same time. She was a font of common sense and distilled wisdom, such that she was sought out for good advice by all who knew her. She was an extremely loyal friend and a fierce advocate for causes she believed in. Anita was a philanthropist who gave both her time and her funds to a variety of worthy organizations in Minnesota over the past 70 years. Her innate ability to relate to different people and build consensus made her an ideal member of any committee or board. She was equally comfortable talking to a U.S. Senator or a street vendor, and although she would enjoy a refined meal at a fine restaurant in Paris or Tokyo, she could also whip up a delicious dinner for 6 over an open fire while camping in the woods. Having spent much of her youth on the Oregon coast, she adored shellfish (her father despite his devout beliefs made an exception for local catch), and it was incredible to watch her break down a crab or a lobster at a picnic table with her sleeves rolled up; her joy at the simple pleasure of sharing good food with friends and family matched by the gusto with which she could remove every tasty morsel. She also had an artistic eye and a refined personal style in dress and decor that ended up informing her later work in design.

Born in Seattle on May 24th, 1931, she was the youngest of the three daughters of Mendel and Minna Hochfeld, and was also the youngest of 24 first cousins who all met each summer at the beach. Anita and her sisters (and best friends), Shirley and Geraldine, grew up in Portland and Seaside, Oregon. After graduating from Grant High School in Portland, she studied physics at U.C. Berkeley and then the University of Wisconsin. While studying in Madison, her cousin introduced Anita to his friend, Myron Kunin, and after a courtship and romance they were married in 1951. They lived briefly on the West Coast, but eventually settled in his hometown, Minneapolis. She embraced her adopted home and grew deep roots in Minnesota, bearing and raising 4 sons in south Minneapolis. Anita and Myron moved from Linden Hills to Tangletown, where the boys grew up and went to Washburn High, and then to the shores of Cedar Lake.

Anita had an amazing amount of positive energy and was extremely well organized, and even while raising 4 children, she still found time to volunteer at many community organizations. From the League of Women Voters (source of the photo above), to Hadassah, to many school functions and charity drives, she was always a willing pair of hands and an organizational force. She helped lead the campaign to create Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, beginning in the 1960’s, and was instrumental not only in lobbying and raising funds for its creation, but also working as a design coordinator between the architects and the hospital’s future staff. She helped create its signature colorful look, as she was keen that the hospital should be a welcoming space for young people. When Minneapolis Children’s opened to much acclaim in 1973, Anita was approached to work as a design consultant for other medical facilities elsewhere (including the Duluth Clinic), and she started a practice in Health Care Environments. She later served as the Chairman of the Board of Minneapolis Children’s and was on the Abbot Northwestern group’s Medical Ethics Committee for many years. After a personal experience of breast cancer, Anita helped organize Minnesota’s first Race for the Cure, and was a national director at The Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Anita endowed a chair of Women’s Health research at the University of Minnesota, and funded an important study on women’s aging. She was a patron of the arts, and was on the board of the Walker Art Center for many years during a time of great growth for the Museum, including the creation of the Sculpture Garden. Myron and Anita collected art, much of which is on long-term loan at the Mia. She supported many local cultural institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra and served on the board of Minnesota Public Radio. Anita was very politically active throughout her life, campaigning for and contributing to countless candidates over the years, and was the first Executive Director of the Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund (now Women Winning).

Anita was a devoted friend. She had a relationship with Audray Rees that went far beyond being best friends. They owned a rustic cabin together on Lake Superior, that is still cherished by both families, and they traveled the world together, both with their husbands, and later, without. Her Minyan group, which began as 10 young mothers in the early 1960’s, met monthly for many decades and still continues to this day. She was a member of two different Book Groups and a Bridge circle, that all met regularly over the years. Anita maintained an amazingly wide network of close friends.

In her Nineties, she had a serious health crisis while on holiday in Tucson, that resulted in major abdominal surgery and the removal of more than 6 feet of her small intestine. With her customary grit and positivity, she fought her way back to relatively stable health and was eventually able to return to her home in Minneapolis and even travel each winter to her beloved beach house in Southern California with her faithful dog and companion, Lola. The family would like to thank the Doctors, Nurses and Staff at Tucson Medical Center, the University of Minnesota Medical Center, and also to Dr. Jon Hallberg and his team at Mill City Clinic for their excellent work and kindness. We are particularly grateful to her visiting nurses, including Anita’s dear friend, Beth Bolden, plus Nelya Taylor, Anie Beaulieu and others, for their incredible service and extraordinary kind attention in helping Anita through some difficult times. We are forever thankful.

Anita is survived and mourned by her four sons and their wives, Tim & Sue, Bill & Helen, David & Linda Rae, and Drew & Dina, plus her grandchildren and their spouses: Mara & Dave, Daniel & Sandy, Nat, Mim, Toby, Sam, Walter, Clyde and Rafa.

She was our matriarch, the sun around which we orbited, and although we will miss her always, we can still see her light and feel her warmth in our hearts and the world around us. We love you, Mom.

May her memory be a blessing.

There will be a private family funeral service and burial, and a public memorial reception at Temple Israel, at 1pm on Friday, Sept 25th, 2323 Fremont Avenue South, Minneapolis

Anita requested any contributions in her memory be made to Minneapolis Children’s Hospital and MPR