Brenda Mary Grant

She was born in South Africa on May 31, 1949, to Trevor and Ayme Willis. Her family moved to the United States when she was three years old because her father took a job at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Her father loved the United States so much that he decided to stay after his stint at the United Nations was over. She lived in Buffalo, NY for most of her childhood and she attended college in Oneonta, NY. It was there that she met her husband, Ken, and she married him the day before their graduation in May of 1971.

They spent the next fifty years living in Central Virginia, where she had two sons and taught in Virginia public schools. She loved teaching and was like a mother to her students. Many of her former students came to visit, invited her to their weddings, and became lifelong friends. Some even said they became teachers because Brenda inspired them.

Her other passions included hanging out with her two sons, spending time with her four grandchildren, traveling, RVing, sewing, and crocheting. She loved making beautiful dresses for her granddaughters. Brenda also enjoyed meeting new people and would rarely ride an elevator without making a new friend. She never discouraged her boys from talking to strangers, and she always emphasized to them the importance of kindness and laughter. Her laughter was infectious.

Her love for country music singer, Ronnie Milsap, was well known. Her classroom parties always had a Ronnie Milsap theme, and she believed that Ronnie had an entire orchestra in his voice. Rarely did a day go by without her playing at least one of Ronnie’s songs. She danced with her sons at their weddings to “What a Difference You Made in My Life.”

Brenda spent the last few years of her life with her husband in Clemmons, NC, just twenty minutes from their younger son, Luke. While Alzheimer’s eventually robbed her of almost everything, she never lost her smile. She coped with her disease with the same courage and grace that characterized her entire life.

Brenda was preceded in death by her parents, Trevor and Ayme Willis, by her sister, Barbara, and her brother, Peter. She is survived by her husband, Ken, her sons, Trevor (wife Laura), and Luke (wife Alison), her four grandchildren, Lily, Harrison, Connor and Hannah, and her brother, Rodney (wife Alice).

A private family funeral service will be held at Glenwood Cemetery in Oneonta, NY. A celebration of her life will be arranged later. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Trellis Supportive Care (attention: Finance), 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.