Brenda Ellen Jones died on March 31st, 2021 at the age of 68. She was born in Ames, Iowa in 1953. In 1955, her family moved to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where she was raised by her parents, Marlen Naumann and Lawrence Frederick Jones.

In her early years her grandmother Maria Naumann would frequently travel from her native Germany to visit in Greensburg during the summer. Near the end of her visit in 1959, she asked to take Brenda back home with her to Dusseldorf for a year, so they could spend time together. Everyone thought it was a wonderful idea. While living with her grandmother, Brenda took dance lessons among many other activities, and picked up the German language very effortlessly. At the end of the visit she flew back to the United States without a chaperone. To her family’s surprise, she was so fluent in German that she had actually forgotten how to speak English. She had to relearn it quickly, which she did.

She was the second of five children, and was preceded in death by her parents. Siblings left to cherish her memory include her brother Michael (and wife Christine), her brother Ken (and wife Giszelle), her sister Cynthia Lange (and husband Cam), and her brother Craig (and wife Pam).

Brenda had a quiet understanding of what was important – the simplicity of living a life with those she loved and befriended. She treasured her nieces and nephews and their children, including Elka Torpey (and husband James and children John, Ellen, and Clara); Katarina Seipel (and husband Andy and children Nathan and Mary); Kyle, Kevin and Christian Jones; Chris, Scott, and Hannah Lange; and Lexi and Nina Jones.

Brenda moved to St. Louis in 1977, where she lived the rest of her life. With a degree in Early Childhood Education, she initially worked with children in a pre-school and then in a hospital. In 1992 she was offered and accepted a nanny job, taking care of the children while the parents were at work. This was a perfect position for her with her unique skills and precious gifts – patience, compassion, and an understanding of the needs of others. She established very close bonds with the several families for whom she was a nanny before she retired in 2015. Her family would be remiss without mentioning a special person to whom she was a nanny for many years – Jack – with whom she enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies and attending Cardinals games.

She loved to participate in and watch sports. Brenda was an accomplished swimmer best remembered for swimming over 50 yards underwater without taking a breath as a youngster. She was an avid fan of the Cardinals, rejoicing in their victories and suffering in their defeats. Brenda was blessed with an uncanny statistical memory. When asked, she could quickly recall the scores of major Cardinals’ games over the past twenty years.

Brenda had an amazingly close group of friends who cared and watched over her during her final days. Before her latest illness and the pandemic, she always looked forward to eating with them at their favorite restaurants or going to movies together, which happened most weekends.

Brenda cared deeply about other people, putting their needs ahead of hers, and had a special feeling in her heart for children. These traits were present from an early age, and many photos exist of her as a youngster holding, cuddling, and interacting with babies. One cousin recently commented that she always made him feel very special around her, and that you can feel her warmth from any photo of her holding him as a baby. These gifts contributed to her being a wonderful nanny, a special friend to many, and a dear sister, aunt, and cousin. She will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her memory to

deGreeff Hospice House at Mercy South Hospice in south St. Louis County.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.