Brenda Dorothy Parks

Brenda Dorothy Parks (nee Mestery), born on January 13, 1942; daughter, wife, grandmother and mother of 11 children, passed away in her sleep in the early morning hours of the new year on January 1, 2021 after a lengthy illness. She is predeceased by her mother Dorothy (1980), her father Stephen (1997), and her brother Donald (2012). Brenda is survived by her daughters Andrea, Shauna, and Charlene; her sons Ryan, Brian, Gale, Robert, Scott, Colin, Jason and Stephen; 23 grandchildren; her cousins in Manitoba; her sister-in-law, June; nieces and nephews Kyle, Brent, Kristin, and Megan, and their children, in the United States.

In her early years, Brenda developed a love of music that was deeply rooted in old country (Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rodgers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and many more). In particular, she will be remembered for her fondness in one of her favorites, Elvis Presley. In her 20s, she joined the Sweet Adelines in Winnipeg, Manitoba and brought her love of singing to life in a group chorus. Brenda spent time in the banking industry, and in various other positions, before becoming a mother for the first time in 1971. She also had a love for collecting books, albums, and stamps.

Brenda loved babies. She loved each of her children as babies and delighted in their growth. This love continued into her later years when she passed on this love for her grandchildren. She loved listening to their voices and delighted in their hugs and expressions of love. In her later years Brenda would always gurgle with excitement whenever she got to hang out with the grandkids.

Brenda loved all kinds of animals in her lifetime, including cats, dogs, budgies, hamsters, and gerbils. She loved them with a kindness that was unparalleled. In Brenda’s heart, she was a bright and open spirit; always willing to say hello or lend her ear to hear new stories and pass them on. She developed a knitting addiction which brought many new blankets, and pom-pom slippers to fruition as gifts at Christmas.

She was a woman who also needed to have a lot of inner strength to live with the real challenges of trying to raise 11 kids without much support of her ex-husband, Doug. She was a survivor of this difficult relationship, and a survivor of COVID-19, during a time when the world saw many deaths to the pandemic with seniors in care homes.

Due to Covid restrictions funeral services will be held privately. Please feel free to join the remote services at:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jan 11, 2021 01:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0od-qtrTotHdxHdGBvUFwxnuu56wo52bxz

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Feel free to send flowers to Evan J. Strong Funeral Home, or alternatively, donations can be made in Brenda’s name to the Calgary Humane Society, in memory of her great love of animals (https://www.calgaryhumane.ca/).

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Brenda Dorothy Parks, please visit our floral store.