Myrna Noelia López Bascuñan

Myrna Noelia Marcela López Bascuñan was born on October 11, 1936 in Punta Arenas, Chile. She grew up in the Patagonia and spent a happy childhood alongside her younger brother Julio Renato. Her mother Otilia Naranjo was the principal at an all-girls school and her father Julio Renee Bascuñan Mackay was an engineer in city planning.

Myrna went to college at the Universidad de Chile, Santiago where she graduated as an English teacher and met her future husband Manuel López Bilbao, who was also in love with the English language and became the head of the English Department at the university.

In September of 1976, due to the political climate, Myrna and Manuel moved their family to New York City. Those years were full of obstacles and lots of hard work, nevertheless, they were some of the best times!

In 1979, on the advice of a friend the family moved to Fayetteville, AR, where Manuel re-did his undergraduate studies at U of A and earned a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree (his Chilean degrees were not recognized). Myrna worked as a clerk in the publications department for the University.

In 1983 the family moved to Chapel Hill, NC so that Manuel could begin work on his Doctorate. Ever supportive of her husband, Myrna found employment at the Town of Chapel Hill in the Clerk’s office starting at an entry level position. During her long career at the Town, she became well-loved by the entire Municipal Government for her warmth, kindness, sense of humor and hard work. She never passed up on an opportunity to help anyone who asked.

Myrna had a way of making everyone feel welcome to be themselves around her. She had a goofy sense of humor that was sometimes unintentional. She had a way of mixing metaphors and flipping the letters and came up with some very funny “Myrna-isms”. Some of the best ones are:

• Answering the phone for the Clerk’s Office: “Clown Turks Office” met with laughter on the other side of the call followed by, “May I speak to the Clown?”
• Her favorite show from the 1970s was “Husky and Starch”.
• She called a Mr. Goodwrench repair center and asked to speak with “Mr. Goodwrench”.
• She went to the shoe store and asked the salesperson for some “clod-hoppers” for her daughter.

After retiring in her 60’s and the passing of her husband Manuel in 1997, Myrna focused her free time on community-centered activities including singing with her daughters at many festivals, storytelling, art, amigurumi, gardening and taking many vacations to Carolina and other beaches with her family and dogs.

Myrna loved and was loved by her pets and her family’s pets as well. She never met an animal she didn’t love. She was most certainly greeted with lots of love at the rainbow bridge upon her passing.

Myrna was a fighter. She had COPD for many years along with pneumonia and several operations. Her daughters teased her that she had nine lives because no matter the damage she always bounced back. Her last battle was too hard to beat. After two hospitalizations in March and again in April her body couldn’t fight anymore.

Myrna lived a long life aside her surviving daughters Claudia López and Daniela López, her husband Sam Brauer, her brother Julio Renato, his family, and a huge group of close friends. She will be missed deeply by all of us.

Memorial Service July 11, 2024, 11AM Clover Garden United Methodist Church 2757 Orange Chapel Clover Garden Road Chapel Hill, NC, 27516