Brittany Dawn Zoellin

Brittany was the type of person you fell in love with instantly, which is what happened to Robert. She was a firecracker and could dish it out better than anyone. Her sense of humor had him laughing non-stop. After the first date, he called his best friend and told him how she was perfect in every way. She was witty, beautiful and had a great outlook on life.

Only four months into dating, their relationship was put to its first test when a small growth was found in her lung. Despite having only been dating a short while, the time spent in the hospital solidified their relationship to form a bond as strong as one that could only be achieved with time. A commitment was made then that he would always be there for her and she did the same. Even knowing now that their time together would be cut short, their commitment to each other would not have changed.

Brittany was a selfless person, always putting herself second. While in the hospital, in the middle of her own fight, her biggest concern was getting on her laptop to donate to a little girl who was battling cancer.

Throughout her chemo and radiation treatments she would get up at 03:30AM to go to work, even though she didn’t need to. When asked why she was working, she replied, “I constantly hear people bitching about having to go to work, but I pray for the days when I am feeling well enough to go to work.”

Brittany’s favorite things were listening to music and driving her car. Every car she owned had to have the loudest sound system. Sometimes she would pull into the driveway, sit in the car just to rock out and dance for a while before coming inside. There was always music playing inside the house. She was constantly dancing, even in public. She dragged Robert to his first EDM show and forced him out of his comfort zone. She did not care if he could not dance because she was still having the time of her life, dancing like no one was watching.

Despite being organized and professional, Brittany was a free spirit. When the music came on, she was free and able to release her wild side. She had a tattoo that read, “All good things are wild and free.” There is not a simpler, yet more appropriate quote for her.

She always had to drive a manual car. People couldn’t believe she was able to drive a 6-speed with a prosthetic leg. Guys would see her car and ask if it was her husband's because they couldn’t believe a woman had a better car than them. When she and Robert married, instead of spending money on a wedding, she chose to get married at the courthouse and use the money on her dream car.

Brittany was a wizard in the kitchen. She must have watched every cooking show at least twice. She loved cooking for friends and family during the holidays and enjoyed hosting cookouts in the summer.

Brittany loved her animals and her stepdaughter, Bren.

After convincing Robert to get her a cat —Lola—she brought home a dog, then another dog. In times when she was feeling very ill, Brittany would keep friends and relatives at bay. She didn’t want her pain to become their burden. During those times of isolation, her pets were her world. They provided the comfort and companionship she needed. She could sit outside with them for hours just throwing the ball to the dogs and forgetting about everything. Lola didn’t leave her side during her last days.

Brittany was the most amazing stepmother to Bren. In the beginning, she worried continuously about gaining Bren’s trust and winning her approval, however they were best buddies instantly. She would joke about how Bren liked her best. She was thoughtful and considerate of Bren, sending her gifts when she did well and planning visits.

Yesterday while sorting through her photos, we came across a selfie where Brittany included in the caption, “When you get crappy news, you put on your biggest crystal and best woo woo shirt and be happy to be alive.”

You have never seen anyone fight the way she did. She didn’t cry when the doctor gave bad news. She never played a victim or asked “Why me?” She accepted the things she could not change. She acknowledged her days were limited but she continued to fight until the end. She did not want to go. She was given lemons and turned that shit into lemonade.

Brittany was not the type of person who would want a funeral, and she certainly would not want us crying for her. She did not care about material things. She valued people and quality time over anything else.

We will be celebrating her Life, Love and Laughter on Friday January 8th @ Noon at Purdy & Walters Lynnwood

In lieu of flowers please send donations to-National Pediatric Cancer Foundation