Photo courtesy of Teahen Funeral Home - Cedar Rapids
Jul 5, 1979 - Jul 25, 2022
I was Brianne's physical therapist at Sloan Kettering. We always had a lot of fun during our sessions and told stories and jokes during treatment. May she rest in peace
Niko Athanasatos
April 02, 2023 | Valhalla, NY | Acquaintance
Grove of 100 Trees
Michael and Zach
October 05, 2022
To say I was lucky to know Bri is an understatement. She was my professor and eventually became a mentor and family member. She had an incredible gift of just knowing what to say and how to say it. I walked into her classroom so unsure of who I was and how I could impact the world and I left her classroom convinced that I was powerful, strong, and capable of anything. All because of her dedication, tenacity, and fierce love for her students. I will miss her more than words can describe, but I...
Kassie Johnson
September 30, 2022 | Brooklyn, NY | Student
Barb, Blaine and Ruth, When I read this, it took my breath away. It seems like just a couple of years ago that Bri would come over to babysit my girls. They thought she was something else ... probably because she always made them feel so special.
Jaye Kennedy
September 28, 2022 | Friend
Group of 10 Trees
Lori McLaughlin and Mike Dodge
September 28, 2022
I was truly fortunate to have Bri as a student at Jefferson. Her smile made me smile and her questions made me think. My condolences
John Rosteck
John Rosteck
September 27, 2022 | Cedar Rapids, IA | Teacher
Our deepest and sincerest sympathy for the loss of Bri. We cannot imagine the heartaches you have experienced these last few years. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. She was a remarkable and successful young woman.
Gwen Gano
September 26, 2022 | Hiawatha, IA
Words can not express but know that we send our Heartfelt Thoughts with Prayers to all your family. God has a very special place for your beautiful Loved One. God Bless
Robert J Hanson & Nancy
September 25, 2022 | Cedar Rapids, IA
I know I will never forget the joy Bri brought to my years at Jefferson! Loved getting to know all of the Waycoff family during that time. I hope all of us who knew Bri can find some peace, comfort, and strength to live on in honor of her spirit and spunk.
Carol Tralau
September 23, 2022 | Cedar Rapids, IA | Teacher
Dr. Brianne K. Waychoff, born July 5, 1979 in Cedar Rapids, IA passed away on July 25, 2022 in New York City of 9/11 related kidney cancer after being diagnosed in 2021. She was 43 years old.
A celebration of Brianne’s extraordinary life will take place on Saturday October 1, 2022 at The National Czech & Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, IA from 1pm to 5pm. Food and drinks will be provided. Please come wearing bright, happy colors to celebrate Brianne’s bright, and colorful life. There will also be a celebration of her life in New Orleans, LA on February 21, 2023.
Brianne was the daughter Blaine and Barbara Waychoff who raised her in Cedar Rapids, IA. She graduated from Jefferson High School, received undergraduate and master degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and completed her PhD work at Louisiana State University. She married the love of her life, Dr. Ben Powell on June 26, 2010.
Dr. Waychoff was an Associate Professor of Speech, Communications, and Theatre Arts at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Brianne was a feminist, a performance artist, a teacher, and a force of nature. She was a prolific scholar recognized both nationally and internationally in Performance Studies and Communication Studies while focusing mostly on Gender and Communication courses within the Speech, Communications, and Theatre Department at BMCC. In 2017 Brianne and her associate designed and launched the Gender and Women's Studies major together at BMCC. Brianne was incredibly proud of the program and a fierce advocate for each and every student she encountered in her work as Co-Chair of GWS. For Brianne the GWS program at BMCC was the culmination of years of advocacy, struggle, and labor by an incredible group of women colleagues that came before her.
Brianne was an incredible teacher and mentor for so many students at BMCC. Outside of her scholastic achievements, Brianne was loved by many people across the country. She gathered up friends in all the places she lived and traveled to and had an amazing ability to make everyone feel special. She is already and will forever be greatly missed by her family, her friends and her extended community.
Brianne is survived by her partner in life Ben, her parents Blaine and Barbara, her grandmother Ruth Otten and Vince Gaffney, her longtime step-grandfather. She was a devoted sister to Abby Waychoff (Dan Murauski) and proud aunt of Orrie and Forrest Murauski. She is also survived by Ben’s family, who loved her as their own: father-in-law Steve (Jo) Powell, mother-in-law, Nancy Thomas, brother-in-law Sean (Cristal) Powell; sisters-in-law Megan Russel (Chris), Katie Hayes (Graham) and her niece and nephew Sophia and Kaison. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers Bob Otten and Ray Waychoff, grandmother Joanne (Waychoff) Gaffney, and uncle Robert Otten.
Memorials may be made to The Center at www.gaycenter.org/memory or www.brigidalliance.org.
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