JANZEN, Brenda

1950 – 2022

Friend. Neighbour. Cousin. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother. Grandmother. Brenda Elizabeth Janzen was all of these and much more to those who were lucky enough to know her.

Born on September 14, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario and a Vancouverite since 1973, Brenda sadly lost her courageous fight with cancer on January 7, 2022.

Brenda is survived by her husband, Verne; three children, Tyler, Bradley and Vanessa; and two grandchildren, Emily and Henry. She is now reunited with her father and mother, Llew and Jean, and sister, Catherine.

Brenda’s younger years were spent in Toronto, where among her family/cousins and friends she revealed an endless “joie de vivre” and was loved by all who knew her. After attending York University, she travelled Europe with her close friend Pat. Both moved to Vancouver in 1973, intending to stay only for a summer but instead ended up calling Vancouver home.

Brenda’s supreme gift was her innate ability to connect with those she met and to facilitate connections between others. This gift came from her great sense of empathy and supportive communication style that encouraged meaningful interactions with everyone she met. As in her life with family, friends and neighbours, Brenda had the same strong influence and effect on all her work friends and colleagues during her 35 years with Transport Canada.

To say she never wanted the party to end would be a laughable understatement. Dinners ran notoriously late, games started well after 10 pm and were often followed by conversations over one last glass of white wine or sambuca with anyone still awake. Brenda loved everything about hosting social gatherings; the planning, cooking, decorating, small talk, dancing, games and maybe even the stress of planning it all, although she would never show it.

Thank you for keeping the party going all these years. We’ll take it from here and won’t let you down.

The family would like to thank all of those friends who were so caring to Brenda, especially during her time in hospital, as well as thank the Lions Gate Hospital Palliative Care Teams on 7West.  A celebration of life will be held at a later date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lions Gate Hospital Chemotherapy Clinic in memory of Brenda Janzen. Visit lghfoundation.com or call 604-984-5785 to donate in Brenda’s name. For full obituary please visit www.mem.com