Brenda Sue Hamilton

Brenda was born June 17, 1942 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Samuel Barton Hamilton, Jr., and Marie Ogle Hamilton who provided a rich and wonderful childhood. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Samuel Barton Hamilton III.

She is survived by her three children, James Oney Naifeh Jr. of Nashville, Beth Naifeh Wright (Joe) of Franklin, Sameera Naifeh Lowe (Brunswick) of Brentwood; sisters Jennifer Hamilton Calvert of Oak Ridge, TN and Margaret Sanchez of Los Altos, CA; grandchildren Sarah, Jay and Katherine Wright and Sam, Jameson, and Jack Lowe, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins, all of whom brought her tremendous joy.

As a child, the Hamilton family spent many summers living on a houseboat on Norris Lake in East Tennessee. This magical place provided much needed relief from the heaviness that the world had endured following World War II. Brenda graduated from Central High School in Fountain City in 1960 and continued her education at the University of Tennessee where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She met and married James Oney (Jimmy) Naifeh in 1962 and they moved shortly thereafter to Monterey, California where Jimmy served in the U.S. Army at Fort Ord. They returned to Covington, TN, and Brenda attended the University of Memphis where she received her B.S. degree in English and her Masters degree in Educational Administration and Supervision.

Brenda was a lifelong educator, driven businesswoman, voracious reader, avid researcher, prolific writer, gifted painter and illustrator, talented musician, and world traveler. She is a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and dear friend to many. Nothing brought her more joy than the time spent with her grandchildren and other children, helping them each develop their individual interests and potential. She had a unique combination of beauty, personality and intelligence, with an eclectic curiosity that spanned from her love of Tasha Tudor and The von Trapp family to nature, science, religion and more.

She became a classroom teacher in Covington, TN, teaching the first class of students following the end of racial segregation. After her work to develop the nationally acclaimed Practical Arts program, she was appointed to the Tennessee Governor’s Task Force Committee on Education, and the Board of Directors of the Tennessee School Board Association. She was also the first female elected to serve on the City of Covington School Board.

She spent more than a decade with George Garner Travel in Memphis, TN (1991-2004) and enjoyed traveling to amazing places, such as hiking the Swiss and Austrian Alps, exploring the countryside of many European countries, and even trekking to Machu Picchu. She instilled her passion for seeing the world in her children and grandchildren, who will continue to honor her legacy during their own travels.

She went on to write, illustrate, and publish several books. Breakthrough to Brilliance represents the culmination of over four decades of thought, planning, study, correspondence, and design work challenging traditional education by offering a vision that offers the possibility that we can change the world by changing the way we learn.

In writing Breakthrough to Brilliance, she became the founder and president of Hamilton Learning Foundation, a non-profit organization which became her life-long dream and project to serve as the organizational vehicle to promote, study, and establish the progressive educational models outlined in her writing.

She is the author and illustrator of The Magic Lake, an autobiographical story depicting her childhood on Norris Lake. She describes it as “so rich and indescribable was my childhood and so greatly has influenced the rest of my life that it seemed important to try to capture, record, and share the wonder with my six grandchildren and other children and folks who love a good adventure.”

Brenda and her sister Jennifer Hamilton Calvert also wrote and illustrated In the Glory of the Morning, a semi-fictional children’s book which is also inspired by their childhood memories.

Thanks to her curious mind and active lifestyle, she always had something new to explore. From joining the canoe club in Memphis, TN, to frequent hikes in the Smoky Mountains, to playing in a celtic band, Mountain Laurel, in Knoxville, TN, she lived life to the fullest and epitomized the concept of a lifelong learner.

The family will receive friends from 10:00a.m. until 11:00a.m., on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Christ Church Cathedral at 900 Broadway, Nashville, TN., with the funeral service to follow at 11a.m. The family will then hold a private burial at Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville on Friday at 3p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and Alive Hospice. We would also like to extend heartfelt gratitude to her many caregivers, including those at NHC Cool Springs and all the staff and volunteers with Alive Hospice.