Brenda Buchanan, pictured with Payton and Max, was well-known in Stratford for her amazing hugs and ability to make everyone she met feel valued and loved.
Brenda Buchanan, pictured with Payton and Max, was well-known in Stratford for her amazing hugs and ability to make everyone she met feel valued and loved.
There were no empty seats and very few dry eyes at Stratford’s war memorial hall on Friday when the life of “the heart of the Stratford community”, Brenda Buchanan, was celebrated.
Brenda (52) died just before midnight on Saturday April 22 in Wellington Hospital where she had been flown on the Friday after a brain aneurysm.
The beloved mother of Payton and Max was remembered by all who spoke at the service as being someone who had a big heart and a kind soul.
Brenda had been an important and loved member of the Stratford community for many years, from her time as a “school mum” and PTA member for St Joseph’s Stratford, where both children spent their primary school years, to her later work in the district through Big Brothers Big Sisters and most recently as a vital member of the team at Tūtaki.
Brenda Buchanan, pictured here with daughter Payton, was at her happiest when she was with her two children.
Anyone who met Brenda found themselves changed for the better through their interactions with her. She always saw beauty and good in people and encouraged them to see themselves in the same way. Her famous hugs - whether people where themselves huggers or not - broke down barriers and brought relief, support and a sense of being cared for to anyone who received them.
Brenda was as persistent and tenacious as she was kind and giving. She never gave up, be it on people or projects. From selling PTA raffle tickets to getting organisations and businesses on board with big projects, Brenda was tireless in achieving positive results for all involved.
Her passion for helping others shone through in everything she did, with very few people she crossed paths with in Stratford not having been the recipient of one of her hugs, kind words or delicious baking over the years.
Brenda Buchanan, pictured with her son Max, gave anything she could to help others and never missed an opportunity to make other people feel better about themselves.
Many of her friends and family speaking at the service used the word “awesome” - a word Brenda constantly used to describe others. Brenda saw the good in everyone and never missed an opportunity to remind people of all they were and could be.
At Tūtaki Brenda had clearly found her calling and her work tribe. She was passionate about the work Tūtaki does, and committed to making a difference through her work on a daily basis. She was the Tūtaki mum, always on hand to give advice, lend a listening ear and to feed her infamous baking to everyone she came across.
To Payton (21) and Max (18), she was more than simply their mother. Brenda was their closest friend, their fiercest ally and loudest supporter in all they did and she never missed an opportunity to tell others of just how awesome her two children were. Many of her friends who spoke during the service took the opportunity to tell Max and Payton of just how proud she was of them, and to promise their support to them in the days, months and years to come.
It was no surprise to Brenda’s friends to hear she had remained as giving in death as she had in life, with her desire to be an organ donor honoured by her children. In total four people have received a fresh chance at health through Brenda’s last wishes and while, perhaps unsurprisingly, her heart itself was not a match for anyone in Aotearoa New Zealand, some valves from it were a match for a recipient in need.
Following the service, a private cremation was held before Brenda’s family, whānau and colleagues gathered at her favourite place, Ngāmotu Beach in New Plymouth for her final send-off.
