Thomas Bruenn (86), beloved husband of Menderes Cirakoglu, passed away on May 27, 2025 after a brief illness. Born on February 28, 1939, in Meriden, he was the second son of William Bruenn and Edith Tomassetti Bruenn, both of whom, along with his older brother William, have predeceased him.

Thomas graduated from Meriden High School in 1957 and earned a B.S. degree in mathematics with a minor in social studies from Central Connecticut State College (now CCSU). He later obtained an M.S. in Mathematics and a Sixth-Year Degree from the same institution.

Beginning his career as a mathematics teacher at O.H. Platt High School in 1961, Thomas devoted 37 years to education, retiring in 1998 as the chair of the mathematics department. In addition to his role at O.H. Platt, he also taught part-time at CCSU and at New Haven Tech.

Thomas, with the help of many of his colleagues, was instrumental in founding the Meriden Federation of Teachers and played a crucial role in establishing unions for non-teaching staff. As president of the MFT, he led a significant strike in 1976 to secure a fair contract. After retiring, he served for four years on the Board of Education and continued his involvement in education through teaching at CCSU and at New Haven Tech.

Notably, Thomas, along with his students and colleagues, created the Celebration of Sir Isaac Newton to honor Newton's contributions to mathematics and physics. He also played a key role in establishing a robotics team for First Foundation competitions and was recognized as "GUS." Additionally, he served as a member and chairperson of the Meriden Anti-Poverty Committee and the Committee for "Vision for a Better Meriden." He was a founding member of "Dollars for Scholars," now known as Project Excel, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charity that began in 1983 to provide awards to students in Meriden. To date, Project Excel has disbursed over a million dollars in awards and scholarships.

Thomas received several accolades for his educational and social contributions, including being named Meriden's Teacher of the Year in 1976.

In accordance with Thomas' wishes, all services will be private. Those wishing to honor his memory may make a donation to Project Excel, Inc., c/o Madison Greenstein, O.H. Platt High School, 220 Coe Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451, online @ www.projectexcelmeriden.org or to a charity of their choice.