Mrs. Brenda Lenora Mullen

On an autumn day in Detroit, October 25th, 1953, Dawson Eugene Smith and Olivia Bertha Archie were blessed with the arrival of Brenda Lenora Smith, the youngest of eleven siblings.
During her early childhood, Brenda was educated in the Detroit Public School system, attending high school first at Cass Technical High School before graduating from Kettering High School. She also attended Wayne State Community College part-time while working as a Sales Assistant at AAA Insurance. She made many friends at AAA and was highly regarded as both a worker and an organizer.
It was at Cass Tech in the spring of 1969 where she met her soon-to-be life-long husband, Marshall Anson Mullen. It was love at first sight, and they spent every moment they could together. Friends on both sides were amazed at how inseparable they were. They were married in August of 1974 in a small backyard ceremony that provided memories that would last forever.
In the summer of 1981, Brenda joined her husband on a bold adventure and traveled to the city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. It was there that she gave birth to two of their three children, Richard and Tamara. Their third and youngest child, Christina, was born in Detroit.
There is an old saying that a "rolling stone gathers no moss." Well, Brenda was always busy. She was an avid hobbyist and engaged in a wide variety of pursuits, including dressmaking, knitting, crocheting, jewelry-making, doll making, woodworking, and her all-time favorite - gardening.
She was heavily involved in her young children's activities, doing stints as a Children's Activity Center coordinator, Softball Coach, Girl Scout Leader for Tamara, and Brownies Scout Leader for Christina. She frequently led the girl scouts out on overnight desert camping trips. When I accompanied her on a camping trip one time as a helper, I spent the entire night in my tent looking for scorpions. When I told her in the morning about my sleepless night, she laughed. She knew the Saudi workers had thoroughly prepared the area to make sure nothing deadly was lurking around but had decided not to tell me about it. She had a sense of humor like that. You could also frequently find her on the sidelines cheering our son Richard on at Little League baseball games. Her love for her children was pure and unconditional, from the moment of their birth to her last breath.
She loved to travel and had the opportunity to see much of the world, including England, France, Italy, Amsterdam, Poland, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Tokyo, Portugal, and others. But outside of the US, her favorite place was Abqaiq Saudi Arabia, where she also served as the Community Center Advisor. Brenda was often the first smiling face new arrivals would meet. She made a host of great friends in Saudi, friendships that still remain today.
After returning to the US, Brenda continued to be active, attending college to complete her undergraduate degree, obtaining her Real Estate License, and joining Brooks and Davis, one of the largest minority-owned Real Estate firms in Houston, and of course, being devoted to her children and babysitting those wonderful grandchildren.
From a very early age, Brenda was a devout Christian. She was a member of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, her favorite place of worship, before moving overseas. Even while overseas, in the midst of possible danger, she managed to attend a small church gathering every week. After retuning to the States, she continued to worship and remained active in the Church (The Bridge, Houston Tx) volunteering whenever she could. We woke every morning to the sound of christian music and she always believed her strong faith was one of the reasons our son Richard embraced religion and is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
It's hard not to see God's plan here. Before she departed, all three children and nine grandchildren had gathered for an annual visit at our home. It's a rare gathering that she so loved. We had time to bond, laugh, play games and enjoy meals together. In a family meeting, after finding out she had but a short time to live, she addressed our children Richard, Tamara, and Christina. One by one, she professed what a wonderful blessing they were, how proud she was of them, and her everlasting love. And then, God waited until Sunday morning to welcome her.
Although Brenda spent most of her adult life overseas and in Texas, she always considered Detroit home. Brenda has returned home now, mourned but forever loved by her husband Marshall, her three children, Richard, Tamara, and Christina, her nine grandchildren Landon, Leia, Sophia, Olivia, Micah, Jaeden, Amaya, Aaliya, and Aida, her four remaining siblings, Joan, Yvonne, Michael, and Allen, and many cousins, nephews, nieces, and a host of friends. We will mourn her loss and shed countless tears, but we can also rejoice that she will be reunited with those who have passed before her; her parents Dawson and Olivia, and her siblings Gloria, Len, Larry, Tommy, Donald, and Kip.