Brenda Dawn Keil

Brenda Dawn Keil was born August 12, 1966 to Calvin L. Keil and Joyce E. Keil nee Neal in Spokane, WA while her father, who was in the USAF, was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. She passed away suddenly on January 2, 2021 in Aurora, CO.

Brenda attended Kindergarten at Peter Sarpy Elementary while her father was stationed at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Following her father’s disabling car accident in 1970 which led to his earlier than planned retirement from the USAF, the family moved to Denver, CO. Brenda spent the rest of her formal education in the Denver Public School system attending McKinley and Holm Elementary Schools, Hamilton Junior High School and graduating in 1984 from Denver East High School.

Following graduation, she took a job working for St. Paul Insurance Companies where her older sister, Kathy, worked. Brenda worked in the Claims Dept and enjoyed her work and the people there. Most recently, she worked for Little Bird Denver and prior to that, Hollyhocks Children’s Boutique.

In 1988, when Brenda was just 21 years old, a virus settled in her heart resulting in significant damage requiring a heart transplant in order to survive. Since heart transplants weren’t being performed successfully at that time in the Denver area, she was airlifted to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah where she underwent a heart transplant on March 3. 1988. Brenda underwent a 2nd heart transplant in Denver in 2002, when it was determined that her first transplanted heart was failing.

She married Timothy (Tim) Wetherald on May 16, 1998 and after an enjoyable honeymoon to the Cayman Islands they made their home in Denver. Brenda had a special affection for cats of all kinds and was ‘mama’ to several beloved cats over the course of her life—Kato, Buster, Billie, Bentley, Bailey, Benny, Baxter and Blue.

Brenda Keil is survived by her husband, Timothy Wetherald; stepsons, Britton and Auston Wetherald; sisters, Karen Keil and Kathy (Russel) Norris), brother, Jeffrey Keil; nephews Dustin (Catherine) Lee and Brandon (Kara) Lee, her kitty-cat, Blue, and numerous beloved relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her stepson Tyson Wetherald.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 14th at Olinger Hampden Mortuary, Cremation & Cemetery, with interment taking place there later. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made in Brenda’s name to Donor Alliance Organ & Tissue Donation, 200 Spruce Street, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80230 (Ph: 303-329-4747/Toll Free: 888-868-4747).