Brenda Renee Langstraat Bui

Brenda Renee Langstraat Bui, 52, of Chicago, Illinois, went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 31, 2026.

On August 8, 1973, Brenda Renee was born to her loving parents, Phil and Karen Langstraat, and welcomed by her sister, Juleen. In 1975 the Langstraat family moved to Indianola, Iowa, where they welcomed another daughter, Jana, into the family.

Brenda attended Irving Elementary School where she particularly loved reading and writing. During middle school, she became a part of the school band as a flutist, the school orchestra as a cellist, and studied piano.

As Brenda entered her high school years, she found enjoyment in writing for the school newspaper which led to her first publication as co-author of the article "He Said, She Said." Brenda was also a member of the cross country and track teams. She participated in many Drake Relay events and also was a qualifier for the state track meet, where she had the opportunity to pass the baton to her little sister, Jana. Brenda graduated from Indianola High School in 1992. Among her classmates was a great guy with a super personality who stayed out of trouble, named Ve Bui, who will later re-enter Brenda's life story.

After high school, Brenda continued her education at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois where she majored in literature. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she earned a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Brenda spent her post education years working for Chicago non-profit organizations and philanthropic leaders which she referred to as her "chosen family". Upon Brenda's passing, she was serving as President and CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. She termed it her "dream job", where her personal and professional values aligned with the library's commitment to "the freedom to read, to learn, to discover".

Ve and Brenda became reacquainted at their 25th high school class reunion after years of living near one another in Chicago, yet not crossing paths. Their relationship grew out of curiosity and adventure which bloomed into love and trust through faith, family, and culture. On December 30, 2021, Ve proposed to Brenda, and on June 10, 2022, they were married in Des Moines in the company of family and friends who traveled long distances to share in their joy. Since then, Ve has been committed to protecting the love he and Brenda shared together.

Brenda became an auntie for the first time, on March 18, 1995 when Juleen, Brenda's older sister, gave birth to Philip Robert James Ritchie. James quickly became the light of her life. As he began to talk, the name Brenda proved to be challenging to pronounce, so he gave her the infamous title, "Aunt Buddy." This name has continued to be the family's term of endearment for her.

Besides being Aunt Buddy, her favorite hobby was socializing with friends and family. She gave her life to her family; 3 nieces, 4 nephews, 2 sisters, and her parents. She also loved staying in touch with a plethora of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Brenda was known for "moving mountains" in order to attend niece and nephew sporting events, music concerts and more. After her marriage to Ve, she added eight sisters-in-law, eight brothers-in-law, 42 Bui nephews and nieces. Needless to say, she was a busy Auntie.

When nephews and nieces were asked about Brenda's hobbies, they declared snow skiing, riding her peloton, power napping, researching health fads, creating her "Br-Agenda," cheering on her many favorite sports teams, shopping, getting manis and pedis, watching Ve cook and enjoying his masterpieces, and of course, reading.

Brenda was known by all who knew her as a compassionate and empathetic person. She had an amazing sense of humor which complimented her intellectual brilliance in a unique way. Despite dedication to her demanding career path, she continually made time to pour love into the lives of her family and friends. When you were with Brenda, you were THE MOST important person in her life. The loss of Brenda's life leaves a void in the hearts of those left behind, but her life work will continue on. There is great comfort in knowing that Brenda is united with Jesus and reunited with loved ones in Heaven.

Brenda is preceded in death by her grandparents, Dick and Julia Baarda, John and Ann Langstraat, mother-in-law, Hein Thi Pham, and sister-in-law, Maria Lien Bich Bui.

She is survived by her loving husband, Ve Bui, Parents, Phil and Karen Langstraat; sisters Juleen Ritchie and Jana (Grant) McGraw; nephews, James and Noah Ritchie, Lane and Easton McGraw; nieces, Olivia Ritchie, Josie and Julia McGraw. She is also survived by her father-in-law Ban Bui; eight sisters-in-law, eight brothers-in-law and 42 Bui nephews and nieces.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at the Indianola Community Church 14424 Kennedy Street, Indianola, IA 50125. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, February 9, 2026 at Overton Funeral Home 501 West Ashland Ave. Indianola, IA. Private family burial will be in the Oakwood Cemetery, Pella, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorials in memory of Brenda may be directed to Chicago Public Library Foundation, Working In The Schools (WITS) or the Indianola Public Library.