Mother, grandmother, sister, friend, force of nature and deeply beloved Martha’s Vineyard community member, Louisa B. Luening died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 82 on August 27 in North Falmouth.

To know Louisa was to be loved by her. Her care for others and for the world at large was boundless and all-encompassing. If she asked you how you were doing, she really wanted to know. Her hugs were legendary, her smile infectious. She knew more about the employees that served her coffee at Mocha Mott’s than many know about their closest friends. She was a joy, a ray of light, a character. She believed in justice, she believed in people. She believed in you, she loved you and she would fight for you.

Born in Chicago, Ill., on June 2, 1942, the first child of Eugene and Ruth Luening, she grew up with her two younger siblings Margie and Larry. Eugene was a Unitarian minister, and the family traveled widely as he served in churches across the North East, Mid West, the South and Canada. During the summer, the family began visiting Oak Bluffs, and even as they moved around, they always returned, eventually buying a home on the Lagoon.

She was very close to her father, and was inspired by his passion for social justice and racial equality. She was an active member of the Southern Christian Leadership Council in high school in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1960s. When she began to be bullied because her father desegregated his church congregation there, she dropped out and traveled the country from California to Lake Tahoe, where she worked as a casino waitress. Over several years, she went to beauty school for hairdressing and eventually got her CNA certificate, working at Windemere and, later, as a home-health aide.

She had many jobs over the years on the Island that she was very enthusiastic about, as she was about all things she valued, from various retail jobs, service jobs (working for a time at the former Circuit Cafe in Oak Bluffs), hair stylist and chambermaid. The overarching theme was her commitment to connecting with people, no matter the vocation.

She had her first two children, son, Erich Luening, in 1968 and daughter, Sabrina Luening, in 1972, against the advice of many people at the time, as she was unmarried and financially unstable. But she knew she wanted children and she was determined to raise them on her own, if need be.

She was a fantastically open person. She was featured in the first edition of the impactful womens’ health book, Our Bodies, Ourselves, allowing a photographer to shoot the live birth of Sabrina. She was more than happy to show the volume to anyone and everyone over the years, as she always had a copy on her bookcase in every house she ever lived in.

As a single mom, she lived in Boston for a number of years with her first two children, working at the famous Jazz Workshop for a time, where legendary musicians like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis performed. Boston proved to be a difficult place to raise two Black children alone on very little money in the 1970’s, so she ultimately moved to the Vineyard, where her parents had retired to Oak Bluffs.

She was open about her struggles, always in the hopes that she could help someone else who was struggling. After years of struggling with alcoholism, she eventually got sober in 1975 with the help of her dear friend, the late Frank Baird. She was forever grateful and proud of her sobriety, and could frequently be heard saying, “this too shall pass.” The Serenity Prayer adorned her home and her language throughout her life.

She had her third child, Talia, in 1980, her final “womblett,” as she called her three children she loved, raised and remained fiercely proud of until the end.

She is survived by her son, Erich, daughters, Sabrina and Talia, granddaughter Ella, as well as her sister Marge Luening, of West Tisbury. She is predeceased by her parents Eugene and Ruth, and her brother Larry.

She will be remembered as she lived — passionately, bountifully, with a full wild love by all who were blessed to have known her. May you rejoice with your sweet angels Louisa! We love you!

Donations can be given to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and a community celebration of life is currently being planned for October.