Brenda Joyce Gilbreth passed away on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the age of 77, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Brenda was born on November 12, 1946, in rural Wahiawa (Schofield Barracks), Oahu, in the Territory of Hawaii. Brenda was the second of four children of First Lieutenant Bruce G. and Mrs. Betty Jo (McCool) Gilbreth. She was their only daughter.
Growing up in an Air Force family meant frequent relocations and changing schools. Brenda graduated from Yamato High School in 1964 while the family was stationed at Tachikawa Air Base in Japan. Upon returning to the U.S., Brenda attended college and later she went to nursing school where she earned her RN degree. In subsequent years, Brenda used her nursing skills in a variety of settings. One of her enduring passions was working in the area of Home Health. She served in that capacity for many years in West Virginia and then in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Brenda moved to Grand Junction in the mid-1980s. It was there that Brenda met Russell M. Moran, her good friend and future husband. They were married on September 3rd, 2014. Brenda said that Russell was the kindest person she knew. His death left a great emptiness in her life.
Brenda’s other life partners were her dogs whom she loved dearly. Toby, her most recent, was a little black pug and her constant companion for about five years, and a source of great comfort in her life. Before Toby there was Yoko, a Shih Tzu, who shared life with Brenda for a great many years.
Brenda had a kind heart, an infectious laugh, and a wealth of knowledge about the world. This made her an easy conversationalist. She valued family stories and would talk at length with her brothers remembering family connections, describing houses that they had lived in as children, discussing how being children of an Air Force officer structured their lives, remembering how having loving grandparents in Arkansas and Oklahoma gave them permanent places to call home. Her kindness played out in many ways. She was quick to offer help to friends in need, a place to stay, a listening ear. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
She is survived by her three brothers, Bruce, Brad (Joan), and Britt Gilbreth, and two nephews Sean Gilbreth and Jason Gilbreth. She is preceded in death by her husband Russell Michael Moran; her parents, Colonel Bruce G. and Mrs. Betty Jo Gilbreth; grandparents, Grady and Dovie Gilbreth, and Jim and Alpha McCool; her sister-in-law, Jeanette Gilbreth; nephew Scott B. Gilbreth, and aunts, uncles, and cousins.
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