Brenda Marie Auzenne, 61, of Bradley Beach, New Jersey passed away Sunday, March 21st on the first full day of spring. On this day of rebirth, Brenda left the world surrounded by her loving family and friends.
A proud Texas native, Brenda was born in Jacinto City and when she was a toddler her family moved to Baytown. Brenda attended Ross S. Sterling High School where she graduated valedictorian of her class in 1977. She then studied chemical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin where she met her soulmate, Russell Carrol Kurtz, a TA for one of her physics classes. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with highest honors in 1981 and accepted a job at Exxon.
In 1986, after 8 years of dating, Brenda gave up her Texas roots to marry Russell and follow him to New Jersey. There they both worked as engineers at AT&T. They continued working while raising their two children, yet Brenda remained just as dedicated to her work as she was to being a loving mother, wife, and friend.
Brenda’s passion was people. She was always able to see and bring out the good in others, and people easily gravitated towards her boundless loving energy. She could talk to anyone about anything for hours on end, leaving unforgettable handprints on the hearts of many.
Brenda also enjoyed travel. Throughout her married life, she and her family took long road trips to almost every US state, stopping along the way to visit her many friends and family. She also traveled to many countries, with a particular fondness for Spain, Greece, and Australia. One of her favorite places to travel to was Hawaii, where every sunset filled her phone with hundreds of pictures. Her love of travel and photos make keeping her memory alive that much easier to all those who loved her.
Even though she greatly enjoyed these places, Brenda’s true love was always Texas. Brenda may have moved to New Jersey, but she and her family spent most of their lives traveling back and forth to Houston to see her parents and siblings. She wore UT’s signature burnt orange regularly and spent her last days in her beloved Texas flag fuzzy slippers that kept her southern toes warm during New Jersey’s cold nights.
Brenda is survived by her loving husband Russell Carrol Kurtz and her precious children, Timothy Russell Kurtz and Rebecca Elena Kurtz. She is also survived by her father, Peter Wilbert Auzenne; her siblings, Bernadette Bryan and her husband John Bryan, Chris Auzenne, Gregory Auzenne, Everett Auzenne, and Nicole Auzenne; and her brother in law Daniel Haynes. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Alexa Auzenne, Margaret Auzenne, Elizabeth Auzenne, Meaghan Bryan, Christopher (Chase) Auzenne, Jonathan Haynes, and Mary Haynes.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 8th at Earthman Baytown Funeral Home 3919 Garth Road in Baytown, TX from 4-8pm. A funeral mass will be held for Brenda on Friday, April 9th at 10:30 am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 800 W. Baker Road, Baytown. The burial will follow at Earthman Memory Gardens Cemetery (8624 Garth Road, Baytown).
Please consider giving to ACPMP Research Foundation (https://acpmp.org/help-us/donate/) in lieu of flowers.
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