Former Bern politician Joy Matter dies aged 90

Long-standing Bern school headmaster Joy Matter passes away Keystone-SDA

Former Bern city councillor Joy Matter has died at the age of 90, her family announced in an obituary published on Saturday.

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Matter began her political career with the centre-left group Junges Bern, now known as the Green Free List. She was elected to the
cantonal parliament in 1978. A decade later, at the end of 1988, she joined the Bern city government, where she headed the education department for eight years.

In her first term, Matter was a member of the last municipal council dominated by civic parties. From 1992, she was part of the first Bernese city government with a left-green majority. The alliance is still in power today.

Matter, who trained as an English teacher, was married to the singer and songwriter Mani Matter. After he died in an accident in 1972, she raised their three children alone.

She personally managed her husband’s literary estate and was careful to protect his work from being politically or commercially exploited. But she welcomed moments when his songs found new life, like when young people sang Dene wos guet geit during climate protests. “His lyrics remain relevant today,” she said in an interview.

Translated from German with DeepL/sp

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