BRENDA E. DAVIS

DAVIS, Brenda E. Passed away on Sunday, November 14, following a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born March 2, 1951 in Providence, RI, the daughter of Phoebe and Paul Davis. Her only sibling, Dwight, followed her by two years. Brenda showed an early talent for swimming, and became a very successful age group swimmer, first in Rhode Island and later in Sarasota, FL, where the family moved in 1965. Three years later, the family moved to Green Bay, WI, where Brenda graduated from Preble High School in 1969. She then attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, graduating with a B.A. in English in 1973. At that point, Brenda launched into life as a strongly independent woman, but one who was surrounded by an ever-expanding community of devoted friends. Brenda remained in the Twin Cities for the next 12 years working first at a public relations agency and later at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and then at the university's athletic department. During this time Brenda also became an accomplished ballroom dancer and instructor. Dancing, especially Salsa and other Latin forms, became a lifelong passion and joy. Brenda, and partners who could keep up with her, often dazzled others at clubs and other settings. Brenda moved to Boston in 1985, putting her in the same city as Dwight and his wife Cheryl, who loved having her nearby. Brenda eventually began a career as a highly valued executive assistant at Bain Capital and Bain & Company, where she worked until her retirement. Brenda became more of a friend than an assistant to the executives she supported, several of whom remained in close contact with her up to her untimely death. After Dwight and Cheryl relocated to the Seattle area in 1990, Brenda made an annual Christmas trip there to visit with them and their children, Greg and Anna. Upon her semi-retirement in 2015, Brenda returned to St. Paul, where she re-established old friendships and set about making many new ones. Brenda was a staunch liberal, a prodigious reader, an ardent movie goer, and a patron of the arts. She traveled to Europe, South America and Asia throughout her life, sometimes on her own but often with friends. Generous to a fault, Brenda's final gift was the donation of her body to the University of Minnesota's Anatomy Bequest Program. Per her wishes, she will ultimately be laid to rest in the program's plot at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. Plans for a memorial service for Brenda are pending. Those wanting to honor Brenda in some way can make a donation to Second Harvest Heartland (www.2harvest.org/giving). The world is a poorer and less joyful place without Brenda, her sharp wit, and her wry sense of humor. She is greatly missed by her brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece, and by a large community of far-flung friends.

View the online memorial for Brenda E. DAVIS