Brenda Kay Hutchison

Brenda Kay Hutchison Brenda Kay Hutchison, 52, passed into the loving arms of her Lord on September 29, 2012 surrounded by her family and friends. She was a 9-year breast cancer survivor. She is survived by her fiancé Mark Newman, nephews Adam Hutchison and Thomas Hutchison; nieces Major Mandy Hutchison, USAF and Claire Belin; cousins Mark D'Alise, Pam D'Alise, Jan D'Alise Martin, Matt D'Alise, Brian Brashier, Rodney Brashier, Renee LaFevers, Mike LaFevers; uncle Warren Brashier; sister-in-laws Dee Hutchison and Betty Hutchison; an extended Hutchison family in Texas, an extended LaFevers family in Oklahoma, an extended Newman family in Florida; and her cat Dasher. She is preceded in death by her father Thomas Hutchison, Sr.; her mother Martha "Bet" LaFevers Hutchison; her brother Tom Hutchison, Jr.; her sister-in-law Tressie Groten; nephew Andrew Groten; niece Grace Groten; many aunts and uncles, and her beloved cats Suzi, K.C., Pizza, and Milo. Born October 14, 1959 on The Presidio in San Francisco, Brenda was an Army brat who traveled extensively throughout her life. Many of her formative years were spent living in Heidelberg, Germany. Her 7 years there were magical, and during this time she built many cherished, lasting friendships. At age 14, Brenda's family moved to San Antonio where she attended Roosevelt High School, Class of '77. She was a graduate of San Antonio College, where she was a radio DJ at station KSYM. In 1986, she moved to Austin and worked at the SXSW Music Festival in its infancy as a guest speaker coordinator. She moved to LA briefly in the 90's to work at Spindle Top Records and then Giant Records, under music industry icon Irving Azoff. Upon moving back to Austin, she worked in various restaurants such as Jo's Coffee, Stubb's, County Line BBQ, and The Salt Lick. In 2001, she followed a lifelong dream to become a hairdresser and enrolled in Beauty College. Upon graduation, she was employed at local hair salons Shag and Birds Barbershop. Brenda also worked seasonally for Populous, a firm specializing in managing sporting events. Some events that Brenda was a major part of include 7 Super Bowls, multiple Sugar Bowl games and Final Four Basketball Championships. She was also a music business tour logistics coordinator, helping bands with hotel bookings, venue advances, and itineraries. Some of her clients included Alejandro Escovedo, Reel Big Fish, and Ian McLagan. Brenda was very active in fundraising activities for the Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) in Austin, as well as being a founding member of The Pink Ribbon Cowgirls support group. She was also a tireless patient advocate and mentor for many other cancer survivors, through such websites as www.her2support.org. A lifelong basketball fan, she enjoyed attending San Antonio Spurs games with friends. Her deep love of music dates back to childhood, with her favorite artist of all time being Elton John. Her family would like to thank her doctors, especially Drs. Thomas Tucker, Anant Patel, Timothy Dziuk, and Ames Smith for their kindness and loving care over the years. The family would also like to recognize the compassionate care she received from the nurses and staff at St. David's North Austin Medical Center. A memorial and celebration of Brenda's life will be held at 4:30pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at Lake Hills Church, 11431 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX 78738. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Brenda's memory to the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin, or Hospice Austin.