Brenda Joyce Weidner
April 3, 1940 – June 29, 2022
Brenda Joyce Weidner passed away peacefully in Novato, California at the age of 82 on June 29, 2022, after a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Brenda was born in Ashley, North Dakota on April 3, 1940, the oldest of 4 children to parents Esther and John Gehring.
At age 2, the family moved to San Francisco, CA. Here she graduated from Balboa High School and shortly after met her future husband of 60 years, Robert (Bob) Weidner.
They married on May 27, 1962, and had their first son, Kurt, in 1963 before moving to Terra Linda in 1965. Here they welcomed their second son, Jeff, in 1967. When her youngest entered elementary school, she got her degree in early childhood development and became a preschool director for a Terra Linda preschool. Later, she was Operations Director for their family company, Academy Software Inc., from 1981-1991.
Brenda loved traveling – exploring much of Europe, seeing the Great Pyramids and riding camels in Egypt, and touring the U.S. and Canada with Bob in their RV. She had a love for the theater and after relocating to Novato in 1993 became very active in the Novato Theater Company serving on the board and producing many shows throughout 20 years. She also loved gardening, organizing family gatherings and outings, and craft projects with her grandkids. She even won first prize at the Marin County fair for her grape jelly.
In 1993 she became “Grammy” to her first grandchild and was the most loving, supportive grandmother throughout the next 28 years attending every sporting event, jazz band concert, theater production, birthday party, and graduation that she could.
Brenda is survived by her husband of 60 years, Robert Weidner, her two sons, Kurt Weidner (Dixie) and Jeff Weidner (Loring), and five grandchildren: Luke, Jake, Jill, Anna, and James. Also surviving are her siblings John Gehring (Chris) and Cindy Petropoulos (Chuck), stepsister Francine Brevetti, as well as several nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her father, John, her stepfather, Frank Brevetti, her sister, Karen Russo, and her mother, Esther (2015), whom Brenda cared for during the last few years of her life.
A memorial service is planned for Aug. 23, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Novato with a reception following.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Novato Theater Company or to the Cure Alzheimerís Fund at curealz.org.
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