Brenda A. Morey, of Brookville, died on March 1 at the age of 73 with her husband, Ron Morey, at her side. This will come as no surprise to those who know them, as they’ve been that way for more than 50 years.
Brenda was born in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Brantford with her beloved brothers Brian McLean (deceased) and Randy McLean. They were raised by a hard-working single mother named Gertrude — Trudy for short — and were thick as thieves. They would later be joined by stepbrothers Alex and Ian (deceased). Adding two additional brothers to this already formidable crew might have slowed the advances of any other suitor, yet it only served to embolden Ron.
Soon enough, Brenda and Ron were high school sweethearts and their two stories would become one.
Brenda and Ron would marry, move to Long Island, and raise two sons together, Greg and Jed. In turn their sons would marry Tammy and Eden, respectively, and give them five wonderful grandchildren: Katherine, Gabrielle, Luke, Ava, and Maya. The grandchildren were the light of Brenda’s life. But the rest, as they say, is herstory.
Considering her humble beginnings, college wasn’t an option for Brenda. But when her kids were grown, she decided to pursue a degree and received a Bachelor of Arts from Long Island University (LIU), and then a Master of Arts from LIU. In fact, she was so enamored with English literature that she became an adjunct English professor at her alma mater. “Determined” doesn’t begin to describe her.
Brenda was a prolific writer and painter. And while she was a devoted Anglophile who spent countless evenings with Dickens, Austen and Gaskell, she had a weakness for American spy novels. Her apple pies were incomparable. Her love of cappuccino, deep and abiding. She drove too fast, yet was somehow always late. But when you needed her, she was always there and right on time.
Brenda and Ron were snowbirds, spending most of their time in Florida, but always returning to New York to water their roots. They even spent a few years out West in Montana. Everywhere they went they collected lifelong friends. No matter where they were or who they were with, most will remember Brenda as a wonderful conversationalist, always quick to laugh and more keen to know your story than she was to tell her own. Everything she did was selfless.
Brenda loved hard. She gave everything and expected only kindness in return. She leaves behind two sons and daughters-in-law, her beloved grandchildren, her mother, two brothers, several nieces and nephews, and (thankfully) her apple pie recipe. More than anything, she leaves behind the great love of her life.
In lieu of flowers, donations or any of that stuff, do as she often asked of her family: Be kind.
