Lynne "Brooke" Bredenbeck

A woman of many names (Lynne, then Brooke when she informally changed her name in college, Mrs. B when we were in high school, and finally Mamoo to her grandchildren), our mother was a force, to be sure. Brooke died peacefully in her sleep at age 90 years old on Sept 5th, 2026. She was born Lynn Pirrie Burns on May 31st, 1936, in Evanston IL. When she was in middle school the family moved to Columbus, and then Bexley, Ohio where she lived until graduating from Bexley High School. She received her undergraduate degree at Miami of Ohio. She married Kim Bredenbeck after graduation. She studied theology at University of Chicago then moved to Germany with her husband who had been drafted into the Army. She gave birth to her first-born, Toby, in Germany then the family came back to Ohio. They lived for a few years in Bedford (a suburb of Cleveland) where she had her next two children: Heidi and Karin. The family moved back to Bexley as Heidi was entering kindergarten.

She was fiercely independent and found a job as soon as Karin entered school. She worked first as a teacher’s aide in the Bexley public schools, then as an event coordinator at Mount Carmel School of Nursing. She made her way up through the ranks eventually becoming Director of Admissions there and obtained her MBA in public administration while working full time in her 40s. After her divorce in the late 1970s, in addition to her full-time career at Mt Carmel, she took on a part-time job to make ends meet for her kids. Eventually she was able to retire at age 59 and moved to Denver Colorado. She vowed after her first grandchild’s birth, far from her in Alabama, that she would not miss any more time with her grandchildren. By the time Heidi had given birth to her first child, Mom had evolved into a Grandmother Extraordinaire. She eventually helped raise both of Heidi’s boys and Karin’s two girls, who were also born in Colorado. Oldest grandchild, Lizzy, came to visit for the summers, and Mom piled on the adventures for the whole gang.

She will be remembered as a voracious reader with a fierce appetite for mysteries and thrillers. She was an accomplished knitter, creating three generations of Christmas stockings for family. She loved crossword puzzles and always had one handy. She enjoyed all sorts of music, and there was always a classical music station playing on various radio stations throughout the house. She introduced her kids and grandkids to live performance theater and dance. She was a huge fan of ballet, beginning with lessons taken in high school and as a young adult. She served as president of the Columbus Theater Ballet Association in the early 1980s.

Summers were spent with family in Orillia, Ontario at a cottage on Lake Simcoe as guests of her mother’s best friend (and honorary grandmother to her children), Kath Bonifield. After her retirement she traveled to China, Greece, Alaska, the United Kingdom, and Mexico with friends and family.

She was witty with a dry and snarky sense of humor. She would give you the “stink eye” if she thought you were being ridiculous. She was famous for threatening to give her children and grandchildren the “double whammy” when we weren’t behaving and fortunately, no one ever found out exactly what the double whammy was.

She was committed to finding meaning through spirituality, and that journey led her through several Episcopal and Catholic churches, and finally to Al Anon. She was an active member of Al Anon for 18 years. Mom lived her values of inclusivity, independence, and authenticity rather than talking about them.

She was a fierce, mighty matriarch who will be missed by so many.

Brooke is survived by her brother, Scott Burns, her daughters Toby Hines (Joe), Heidi Wells (Bradford), Karin Walsh, ex-son-in-law Tim Walsh, and 5 grandchildren: Elizabeth Hines (Walker Martin), Dylan Wells, Evan Wells, Kaia Walsh, and Reilly Walsh as well as several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Brooke and Mount Burns and her stepsister Mary Lang.

A memorial service will take place at Horan & McConaty, 1091 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80246 at 2pm on Friday Oct. 2nd. Donations may be made to your local public radio station.