A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012 at the Hope Center in Beaver Crossing. Visitation 2-8pm Thursday with the family greeting relatives and friends from 5-7pm at Lauber-Moore Funeral Home, Beaver Crossing. Memorials have been established and are directed in care of the family.

Brenda Lee Stutzman was born August 18, 1955 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Marilyn (Bouwens) and Gary Law, the oldest of 4 girls, and passed away on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at St. Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center in Lincoln at the age of 57 years 3 months and 7 days. As a young girl she attended numerous schools as her family lived in several states. In 1970 she moved with her family to Beaver Crossing, and graduated from Centennial High School with the class of 1973. She furthered her education by attending and graduating with the first Commercial Arts class from Southeast Community College in Milford. Later Brenda attended Doane College. She was united in marriage to Michael Stutzman on May 9, 1975 at her grandparents home in Beaver Crossing.

Brenda was employed at various area nursing homes, FormFit Rogers and the Crete Hospital where she started in the laundry and worked her way up to purchasing agent. She traveled nationwide as an employee of AIM Health Care based in Nashville, and also was co-owner with her mother in the Country Neighbors variety store in Beaver Crossing after Georgia Lange retired.

She was a member of Beaver Crossing Christian Fellowship, served as a Sunday school teacher, on the music team, and was in charge of the Crisis Food Pantry of the church. Along with her good friend, Judy Stutzman they formed the Beulah and Gracie comedy team and performed around the state. Brenda was also a member of Seward County Extension, Sky’s The Limit, Golden Agers, and Kensington Clubs. She was a member of the Beaver Crossing Chamber of Commerce and served as President. She also assisted with the rural food connection, served as a hospice volunteer with AseraCare and served as a member of the staff of LIFE at Beaver Crossing. She was a founding member of the Beaver Crossing Red Hat Society. Monthly she participated with the team at Matt Talbot Kitchen in Lincoln. She attended a Barnum and Bailey clown school to learn about “clowning and makeup” which she used when she participated with the No Greater Love Ministries out of Illinois and traveled with that group to Mardi Gras, Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 and several trips to Honduras. She was one of the original season ticket holders to the Lincoln Salt Dog baseball games and was a member of the fan club.

One of Brenda’s passions was her loving concern for others and in this she and her sisters started the Country Neighbors store in Beaver Crossing with the proceeds going to breast cancer research in Nebraska. In her spare time she recently became involved with scrapbooking.

Brenda is survived by her husband, Michael, Beaver Crossing, father, Gary Law and his wife Marie, Utica, sisters and brothers-in-law, Sheryl and Chris Navrkal, Elmwood, NE, Margot and Tom Meahan, Beaver Crossing, brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Alan Stutzman, Diane and Dave Hobson, all of Beaver Crossing, John Eulberg, Seward, step-brothers, Scott and Barb Engel, Shawn and Sue Engel, many nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, mother, Marilyn Engel, sister, Joellen Eulberg, parents-in-law, Percy and Ruth Stutzman, brother-in-law, Terry Stutzman.