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In memory of
Brenda "Oma" Mae Glenn
1945 - October 3, 2020
1945 - Oct 3, 2020
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In lieu of flowers
Please consider a donation to Memorial & Grandchildren's Education Fund.
Photo
Brenda's obituary
Brenda arrived into this world through a sunbeam on Flag Day. She had come into her Diamond Jubilee year. Bringing with her a ferver to spread joy and celebrate all of life.
Brenda lit up every room she entered with her bright smiling eyes and joyful effervescence. She was a woman of strength and courage, whose polite demeaner was able to break through most walls. Brenda's smile coupled with her baby blue eyes reached into our hearts with great depth and kindness. Rarely showing her vulnerable side, she smiled through many heartaches and lifes twists and turns.
Our Oma was raised in a humble one-bedroom school house converted into a home in the 1940’s. This home was bought at an auction by her mother, Bissel Evelyn Raine, known as Nanan by most of us. She won that auction by showing up exceptionally early with the money she had earned cleaning neighboring homes. Nanan, Bissel Evelyn Meek Sutton, was raised with more affluent beginnings until her father’s investments fell apart in the depression in the 1920’s. She had learned financial awareness, devoted work ethic, from her up bringing and passed this on to her daughter, Brenda, who was a resourceful businesswoman. Nanan made braided rugs to warm their floor out of the handmedowns shared by all three of her children.
Brenda lost her father at age 16, and her mother pressed on to continued to raise their three children. The loss of her beloved Pop Pop and her older brother Sony, at a young age were devastating tragic events of her life. The loss of her mother & brother, Les, both after suffering from dementia was unsettling to witness. These events set the tone how Brenda found within the ability to make sure we never missed a reason to celebrate and be present with each other.
My mom was a renaissance woman, a rare breed. She could turn an empty fridgerator and kitchen and ordinary day or meal into a feast. She loved Christmas and Easter and especially dressing up for Halloween, she made her own cosumtes and appreciated a reason to make costumes! Her favorite bragging rights came from winning costume parties partnering up with Opa,as the blues brothers!
Oma was a Master Gardener, master live and dried flower arranger, founding member of the Harford County Frienship Garden Club. Her gardens live on today in her memory. Her appreciation of nature and digging in the dirt was her favorite time to commune with the earth Faeries, birds and butterflies.
Master knowledge of fabrics as an expert seamstresss, winning awards in highschool for the dresses she made for herself for homecoming and prom, making and modeling her dresses. She loved & made beautiful pillows. Brenda also made her own clothing and her daughter's, out of necessity but also joy in matching her girls.
Oma also won awards as a Master calligrapher, for which opa created a shadow box. They were a terrific team. Brenda loved words. She loved reading and listening to stories and poems. She also loved talking and listening to her friends and even strangers who became friends. Opa worked with Oma in creating many projects for Oma to use as she taught Reading. A reading specialist at Forest Lakes Elem for close to 30 years, she taught many kids to read and enjoyed creating ryhms and ryhthems. She also had many puppets she created. Opa was usually given the task of illustrating characters to help her kids. Her students new her as Mrs.Glenn.
Brenda was a Master game player especially of Kinasta, a legendary partner who knew intuitively what her partner was holding and with whom when playing against the men, always beat the men!
Brenda loved music, especially live music. Oma was the dance and sing-a-long coordinator at the assisted living home. She and Opa spent as much time as they could going out to dinner and listening and dancing to live music. Dinner, dancing, card playing and celebrating with her beloved close friends, neighbors and family was her favorite way to pass the time.
Oma was extremely physically fit, she walked everyday, enjoyed swimming, and dancing, jumping on her trampoline and aerobics.
Oma looked soft and cuddly, kind, approachable and elegant on the outside, but in the depths of her world she was a woman of deep substance. During a very difficult trial after her husband was in a horrific car accident, caused by the offender, she kept her composure like a true momma bear in the face of extreme diversity. In her later years, her biggest fear was developing demential and alzimers. This disease inflicted her brother and mother. Brenda never did forget. She set her self up to assure herself she knew and remembered us, she surrounded herself with photos and cards of and from her loved ones.
Her greatest sadness was the pain inflicted on our family from the court system that has refused to allow her grand daughter to move from her state of birth. This faulty court system pales in comparison to Brenda's wing span and influence as she sits with Jesus and works miracles. Prayers are still needed for them and other families suffering from such abuse from the faulty legal system.
Brenda’s greatest joy was her grandchildren. She adored all three of her beautiful grandbabies and they adore her. Their lives are forever touched by her and her memory will live forever in their hearts.
Brenda and Fred were quite a pair, she was the Yin to his Yang and now after 53 years together, Fred is remembering the days before he met her and trying to figure out who he is. He became her partner in crime and and raised two daughters, who grew up to travel and raise families outside of Maryland. They teased and told them they were improving the gene pool.
Fred and Brenda were married Oct. 7, 1967 and held each other close for 53 years together. They met at their friend’s Bon Fire party when Oma told Fred she liked the color of his motorcycle a irridescent peacock green, and then he invited her for a ride. She told me he had nice knees. Their song, “Strangers in the Night” exemplify the true love and passion they had for each other. Devoted and loyal, their love story is our love story. He always did what she asked of him, she always saw his heart and knew through his rough & tough exterior was the man who she adored with every cell of her being. A true gentleman but on the inside he could fool some folks by wearing his leather and acting tough.
And so in the lives of their children and grandchildren, their love story carries on. Do not be fooled by what you see on the exterior…things are not always what they seem. This was perhaps the greatest lesson my mother gave me.
Brenda Mae was a giver with a tremendous heart. In the end she chose to give her body to science, knowing that this earth suit was just that. She is with God and all of her beloved family ancestors who have gone before her.
In lieu of flowers a memorial education fund for Brenda's grandchildren has been made. Contact us here, if you are interested in planning a memorial for Brenda.
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In lieu of flowers
Please consider a donation to Memorial & Grandchildren's Education Fund.
$99,000
goal
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Thinking of you all on this beautiful soul’s birthday ❤️🎉🌺🌴she’s dancing and smiling with each of you!!!
Thinking of you all on this beautiful soul’s birthday ❤️🎉🌺🌴she’s dancing and smiling with each of y…
Thinking of you all on this beautiful soul’s birthday ❤️🎉🌺🌴she’s…
In lieu of flowers
Please consider a donation to Memorial & Grandchildren's Education Fund.
$99,000
goal
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Created with love by
Heather Barnes (Brenda's daughter).
