Obituary of Beryl B. Punt

Punt, Beryl (Baldwin) East Rochester: The daughter of the late Schuyler & Doris (Hawkins) Baldwin, August 2, 2013 at the age of 81 years. Predeceased by her husband Pieter Punt, and brother Gordon Baldwin, she is survived by her brother, Malcolm Baldwin (Pamela) of Lovettsville, VA, brother-in-law Ronald Punt of the Netherlands, sisters-in-law Helen Baldwin -of Madison, WI and Elizabeth (Punt) Mills of Newburyport, MA; children, Douglas Punt (Beth Rebarber) of NYC, Jennifer Punt (Stephen Emerson) of Haverford, PA & Brenda Punt Cackett (Stephen) of Pittsford, NY; grandchildren, Adelaide Punt; Anneka and Kendra Allman, Kyle, Rachel and Megan Cackett; nieces and nephews Emma and Marius Punt, Heather Mills, Paige and Schuyler Baldwin, Rebecca, Alice and Peter Baldwin.. Born February 19,1932, Beryl Hawkins Baldwin was raised at the family home known as Orchard Glen on Lincoln Mills Road in Perinton. There she trained her beloved horse Stormy and became an expert bareback rider. In 1949 she graduated from the Harley School, where her mother taught Latin, French and English; in 1953 she graduated from Colby College, where she was president of Sigma Kappa sorority; and in 1955 she earned an M.A. in art education from Columbia University. She met her future husband while both were living at Columbia’s International House; Pieter had come to Columbia from the Netherlands for graduate study. They were married on November 26,1955 and later settled in East Rochester after building a house on her family’s land on Lincoln Mills Rd. Beryl and Pieter shared life’s journey together for more than 50 years. Beryl followed in her mother’s footsteps as an educator, teaching elementary art in East Rochester and giving youth art instruction at the Memorial Art Museum in Rochester. In 1971 she began teaching kindergarten and first grade at the Lois E. Bird Elementary School, where she taught continuously for 22 years as the first teacher to generations of East Rochester families and touched the lives of hundreds of children. In 1985 she was honored to receive the P.T.A.’s first Distinguished Service Award, acknowledging her “tireless efforts to improve the welfare of the children in the East Rochester School District.” After retiring from the Bird School in 1993, she went on to create her own pre-K classroom at her home, in a program known as “Moments with Muzzie.” After 15 years, in 2008 she closed her school, ending a 50+ year career in teaching. As a caring and selfless teacher, Mrs. Punt shared the joys of learning and creating, of story-telling and song. Her lessons included the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the emergence of a hatchling chick, and the growth of a sunflower. While sharing these natural wonders, she helped countless children to grow and change, to break through barriers, and to begin to realize their own potential as eager learners, boundless creators, and most of all caring and responsible individuals. Beryl will long be remembered for her compassion, her concern for social justice, her genuine enthusiasm for teaching and her love of children and animals. A Memorial Service for Beryl will be held at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester at a day and time to be announced. A longer version of Beryl's obituary is available at HarloffFuneralHome.com.