Dr. Brenda Leah Dew, friend, teacher, mentor, sister, and matriarch, went peacefully home to rest on December 9, 2023, following her brave choice to look stage four ovarian cancer directly in the eyes with courage, dignity, wit, and grace. Since learning of her diagnosis, Brenda has enjoyed messages, cards, phone calls, and visits from her impressive and dedicated community of loved ones. For Brenda, it was true that the greatest gift you could bestow on her was your time. She was surrounded by dear friends and loved ones as she made her journey to the next chapter. In her final months, Brenda made life count extra: she was able to visit friends and family to share stories, love, and connection once more. With support, Brenda was also able to impart her wisdom, experience, and stories a final time with the goal of bringing a book about her work to fruition. Brenda came into this world on December 21st, 1940 in Tarboro, North Carolina to two wonderful parents Tuck and Mollie Dew, who raised her to be sincere, authentic, curious, and kind. Brenda is preceded in death by her beloved parents, her brothers Jerry and Charles Dew, and her two therapy dog companions, Moses and Daisy. She is survived by sister Betty Kay Matthews, nieces Kelly Dew (John Pelphrey) and Molly Page (Ray), nephews Charles Dew (Danielle) and Michael Matthews (Holli).  She is also survived by grand-nieces and grand-nephews: Porter Pelphrey, Elizabeth, Mackenzie and Katelyn Page, Brinkley and Addison Dew, Camden and Aubrey Matthews. Additionally, she is survived by her beloved dog, Charlie.

Brenda graduated from Tarboro High School  in 1959, and went on to earn her Bachelor's Degree from East Carolina College in 1963, and her Master's Degree from Ohio University in 1971. She continued to pursue learning and growth with enthusiasm, and learned to speed read to absorb as much knowledge as she possibly could. Brenda used her educational opportunities to travel through a US Department of Defense program, living in Germany, The Philippines, Korea, England and Goose Bay (Canada). In 1976 she earned her Doctorate in Philosophy from Ohio University.  She was a licensed Professional Counselor as a mental health service provider, and held certifications as a National Certified Counselor, and was a licensed and certified supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Thanks to her experiences, Brenda was never short of tales to tell to anyone willing to listen, and when you understood what a special person you were in the presence of, you'd listen to her stories time and time again, learning something new each time. As much as Brenda loved to learn, she also loved to teach: new generations of counselors at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville Tennessee and Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky.  Brenda also taught Sunday School at Calvary United Methodist Church, and through her work, taught marginalized individuals with therapy and service animals. Revered by her peers and considered an expert in her field, Brenda mentored many doctoral students, and empowered therapy clients and groups to make good choices and move forward positively in their lives. The number of people who benefitted from Brenda's heart and mind is truly countless.

Brenda was also a dedicated and long-term volunteer—alongside her dogs Moses, Daisy and Charlie—in providing pet therapy to individuals at Alive Hospice, Vanderbilt Medical Clinics, Oasis Center, and Parthenon Pavilion psychological hospital. For her efforts alongside therapy dog Daisy, the pair were awarded the Frist Humanitarian Award in 2006. She was a member of the Nashville Emmaus Community. Brenda received numerous other awards for her work and service: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education Certificate of Excellence in Teaching (1978), Chi Sigma Iota recognized her for scholastic and professional excellence at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University (1986), Ohio University's George E. Hill Distinguished Alumni Award (1989), The International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (1997), Tennessee Association for Marriage and Family Counseling (2000, 2004 and Lifetime Service Award in 2010), The State of Tennessee Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, and Clinical Pastoral Therapists (2010). She was unsurprisingly named "Favorite Graduate Professor" from Chi Sigma in 2001, and received recognition for her pet therapy efforts from TriStar Centennial on multiple occasions. Crawford Funeral Home of Nashville, TN is overseeing service arrangements. Visitation will take place at Calvary United Methodist Church, 3701 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215, on Monday, December 18th, from 1PM-2PM, followed by a celebration of life at 2PM. The service will be officiated by Rev. Brian Marcoulier. Internment and a graveside service will be held on Thursday, December 21st (Brenda's birthday!), at 2PM at Greenwood Cemetery, Tarboro, NC. Serving as active and honorary pallbearers will be Charles Dew, Michael Matthews, John Pelphrey, Dave Adams, Barry Beck, and Andy Charron. The service will be live-streamed, and can be accessed at https://calvaryumc.com/brendadew. In 2012, Brenda co-founded Nashville non-profit, Retrieving Independence. Retrieving Independence envisioned harnessing the power of the human-animal bond to bring love and dignity to those in need: currently incarcerated men and women, individuals living with disabilities, and dedicated staff and volunteers. Retrieving Independence continues to transform lives for hundreds of individuals each year. Retrieving Independence will continue to honor Brenda's legacy through the Dr. Brenda Dew award, which was established in recognition of Brenda's beautiful lifetime of work. The Dr. Brenda Dew award is given annually to an individual who "changes so many lives through the redemptive power of Love and Service". Donations can be made in Brenda's honor to Retrieving Independence, 2400 Clifton Avenue, Nashville TN 37211 (www.riservicedogs.org), Calvary United Methodist Church, 3701 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215 (www.calvaryumc.com), or Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St, Nashville, TN 37203 (www.alivehospice.org). Brenda had a vision of healing through emphasizing our innate self-worth, purpose-driven counseling, and serving one another with dignity and love. A life well lived, Brenda emulated love, dignity, and change each and every day. One of Brenda's most frequently used quotes is one that she would wish to share one last time: "I don't care what you know, until I know that you care." – President Theodore Roosevelt