Louise Renee Durham

Renee was born on October 14, 1964, in Washington, D.C., and was raised in Oxon Hill, Maryland. She spent much of her early adult and adult life in Nashville, Tennessee, where she raised her family, before eventually returning to Maryland in the later years of her life.

If there was one thing at the center of Renee’s life, it was her family.

Renee was the mother of three children, Brittney, William, and Tricia, and being their mother was one of the most important roles of her life. Life was not always easy, and there were years when there simply wasn’t much to spare, but Renee had a way of figuring things out. She was resourceful, creative, strong, and determined. She made sure her children had what they needed, even when doing so meant going without something herself.

That was Renee. When the people she loved needed her, she found a way.

She was fiercely protective of her children, sometimes perhaps more fiercely than they thought necessary. If one of them was in trouble, they knew they could call their mom and she would show up. And if Renee believed someone wasn’t treating one of her children the way they deserved to be treated, there was rarely any question about whether she would speak up. She loved her family deeply, protectively, and without hesitation.

That devotion was especially evident throughout the life of her youngest daughter, Patricia Renee “Tricia” Durham. Tricia spent many years facing serious health challenges and frequent hospital stays, and Renee was beside her through them. She cared for her, advocated for her, asked questions, challenged doctors and nurses when she believed it was necessary, and worked tirelessly to make sure her daughter received the care she needed. Losing Tricia in 2016 was an immeasurable loss for Renee and for the entire family.

Renee also treasured being “Grammy” to her grandson, Justin. She loved him deeply and cherished every opportunity she had to spend time with him. Being his Grammy brought her tremendous joy.

In the later years of her life, Renee shared a meaningful companionship with her longtime partner and friend, Robert “Mike” Unzicker. Mike was an important part of Renee’s life, sharing in the everyday moments and companionship that became part of her world.

Renee spent much of her working life in accounts payable, but a job title could never say very much about who she actually was. She was a survivor and a problem solver. When life presented her with something difficult, she had a knack for simply figuring it out. She could fill a room when she wanted to, but she could just as easily sit back, observe, and take everything in. She knew how to laugh, how to take a joke, and how to find the humor in life.

She also loved gardening and getting her hands in the dirt. There was something fitting about Renee with soil on her hands, tending to something and helping it grow. And more often than not, she was probably doing it barefoot. Renee had very little use for shoes and was perfectly content walking around without them, a quirk her family will forever remember with a smile.

Those little things matter because a life is made up of so much more than dates, places, and names. It is made up of the things people remember years later: a voice, a laugh, a habit, a story told over and over again, the way someone showed up when they were needed, and the feeling of knowing that someone was in your corner.

Renee was someone who showed up.

She loved fiercely. She protected fiercely. She survived difficult things. She gave what she had, and sometimes she gave more than she had. She was not someone who needed life to be easy in order to keep going. She simply found a way.

Renee is survived by her daughter, Brittney Hyche (Durham); her son, William Durham; her beloved grandson, Justin Hyche; her longtime partner and friend, Robert “Mike” Unzicker; her great-aunt, Nancy Satterfield; her sister, Annette Stang (McKinney); her brother, Richard Flood; her nieces, Olivia Stang and Shelby Sarnecki (Stang); her nephew, Colin Stang; six great-nieces and great-nephews; and many cousins and extended family members who will carry her memory with them.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Patricia Renee “Tricia” Durham; her mother, Patricia McKinney Burton; her stepfather, Eddie Burton; and her uncles, Chester Satterfield and Ronald “Shorty” Satterfield.

Renee’s family will remember her not simply for the circumstances of her life, but for the love she gave throughout it. They will remember a mother who sacrificed for her children, a Grammy who adored her grandson, a woman who knew how to stand up for the people she loved, and someone who kept finding a way even when life made that difficult.

Most of all, they will remember that Renee loved her family, and that she was deeply loved in return.

Renee will be cremated, and her cremated remains will be laid to rest at Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to gather in celebration of Renee’s life on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Serenity Ridge, 2406 Ridge Road, Windsor Mill, Maryland 21244.

Nearly ten years after the loss of her daughter, Patricia Renee “Tricia” Durham, Tricia’s cremated remains will also be laid to rest with her mother’s. Renee spent so much of her life loving, caring for, and advocating for Tricia, and losing her was one of the greatest heartbreaks of Renee’s life. There is something deeply meaningful in knowing that, in their final resting place, mother and daughter will be together again.

May Renee finally be at peace, surrounded by the love she gave so freely during her life.