Little Neck resident, teacher and artist Brunnhilde S. Costanza died April 10 at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. She was 83.
Costanza, who was also known as “Brunni,” moved to Little Neck in 1954 with her husband John. Costanza was born in Brooklyn and attended elementary schools in the Bronx and the High School of Music and Art, now called the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. She obtained her bachelor's from Queens College and earned her master's from the Teachers College of Columbia University.
After moving to Little Neck, Costanza began teaching fine arts to students at Louis Pasteur Junior High School as well as Cardozo and Hillcrest high schools. At one point, Costanza took a half-year sabbatical to study major art collections in Europe and the United States.
Even after her retirement, Costanza continued to paint, using watercolors, oils, acrylics and mixed media. Her work was shown in several galleries at Queensborough Community College, St. John's University, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury and the Lever House in Manhattan.
Costanza was a founding member of the Jamaica Art Center and president of the Long Island Artists Alliance. She was a member of the Alliance of Queens Artists, the Metropolitan Painters and Sculptors and the New York Artists Equity Association.
A memorial was held for Costanza at the Doyle B. Shaffer Funeral Home April 13. She is survived by her husband John, her sons Peter and Walter, her daughter Suzanne and two grandchildren.
Katy Gagnon
