Gwen Nystuen of Ann Arbor was a co-founder of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter in 1967. Gwen was an avid and effective leader in the Huron Valley Group and in the Political Committees at the chapter and national level. Her many friends and admirers also remember her as a hostess without parallel who always took tremendous care of her guests. Gwen passed away on Monday, May 12, at 95 years old.
Gwen was a rock for more than sixty years in Michigan's environmental community, in partnership with her late husband John. Visitors to their home in Ann Arbor were treated to an extraordinary array of frogs, which became Gwen's icon for many of us. Gwen was key to Sierra Club beginning to engage in electoral endorsements starting in the 1980's. Her common sense and strategic thinking were a key part of the Michigan Chapter and national Political Committee’s effectiveness. And her activism in Ann Arbor along with her incredible warmth and hospitality made her a key leader in that community's environmental efforts.
We hope we can all learn from Gwen's passion and commitment in this challenging time to continue the fight that she has played a huge role in for such a long time. Below are some thoughts from Sierra Club friends about this remarkable woman.
If anyone visited Gwen and John's home you immediately found out that Gwen loved frogs. There were ceramics, wooden and you name it. Frogs decorated their home everywhere. Her son-in-law explained that eons ago John and Gwen were looking for an apartment and the owner of the apartment they were interested in said NO pets allowed. Gwen then asked him what kind of pets and he replied with NO dogs or cats. Hmmm, Gwen said okay. So that was the beginning of frogs in Gwen's life. Gatherings with good food was what Gwen delighted in. Starting over 40 years ago Gwen used to chair the Chapter's Political Committee and her lunches for us were unbelievable - meats, cheeses and bread, all from Zingerman's delicatessen.
Gwen was such an important part of Sierra Club Michigan. Quick with a smile, she was one who gave the very best to whatever she was involved in. May she rest in great peace and love.
Having a chance to know Gwen was one of the best things to happen in my Sierra Club world. We are both sad to know we’ve lost her.
I met Gwen in 2018 or so, and valued her opinions highly.
We should all learn from Gwen's example. We are lucky to have had her leadership.
What a life to celebrate and honor. The Michigan Chapter was built from the ground up on a foundation of Gwen's sharp intellect, compassion and warmth. And really good food!
We remember the remarkable hospitality that Gwen showed to us when we visited their house for some Sierra Club meetings many years ago. She was “a doer and a shaker”. The Huron Valley Group was very fortunate to have had her presence in our mission.
I only knew Gwen closely really in the last decade and a half of her life. Gwen was (is) a dear friend. I can imagine she is now united with John at last, and they are having one magnificent soiree at a beautiful "frog pond" someplace that resembles the frog pond. She was a mentor to me. Words fail on how soothing was her counsel. She could entertain bar none, and we saved parks and greenspace and our corner of the planet from her home on Olivia Street. Despite challenges in her life it never sank her spirit or her tenacity. May the "frog pond" be preserved. To a beautiful lady. I love you and will miss you.
I feel so sad, so many of our enviro champions are passing but not their legacy. I really learned a lot from Gwen and John.
Gwen was a dear friend and community leader. I’m very sad to hear this news. She will be deeply missed. She and John were quite the amazing couple.
Gwen and John were great local Sierra Club leaders, and some would say Heroes in the Environmental Movement. I am sad to hear of her passing. Recently, the Ann Arbor Environmental community lost Nancy Shiffler also. Gwen,Nancy and John were not unlike Abraham, Martin and John in a historic sense.
Gwen was a dear friend and was hugely influential in many environmental issues in Ann Arbor. She was not only a vocal and productive activist in her own right, but served as the focus and guardian of much of Ann Arbor's environmental community. I remember many meetings held around her dining room table and a wintertime dinner extravaganza she held at her house (we expanded into the living room as well) where I got to touch base with so many of our local activists who have carried the torch for years. I remember talking with her about how she and her husband John used to participate in the spring frog and salamander census. She loved herps. She was a generous and inspirational friend to many and is much missed.