Brenda Cowles

Brenda McDonnell Cowles: Beloved wife of Bill and sister of Leigh; loving mother of Chip(Diane), Tyler(Jennifer) and Leah(Kevin) devoted grandmother of Daniella, Gabriella, Seth, Aaron, Morgan, Ben, Caleb, Micah and Savannah and much loved daughter of the late Allan Leigh McDonnell and Nina Frances Colby McDonnell. Brenda spent her formative years in New Hampshire. She lived close to her cousins Harvey, Michael and Peter who enjoyed playing together in the long summers. Brenda went to school at Pembroke Academy and during her high school years worked with her good friend Judy Morrill at the First National Store where they would race each other to check out customers! Brenda went on from Pembroke Academy to study nursing at Keene State College. She began her nursing career at Boston Hospital before going on to run a 50 bed nursing home. Brenda met Bill in 1964 while she was working for the New Hampshire Child and Family Services Adoption Agency. They met at a cocktail party in Manchester, NH, and were married in Suncook on November 19th 1966, after a two year courtship. Their first home was a two story apartment in Manchester and from there they moved to a farm near Goffstown where Chip was born in 1968 followed by Tyler in 1970. Leah was born three years later in Silverlake. The Cowles family moved West in 1975, settling for 6 months in Prescott, Arizona before moving to Wickenburg where they have lived for the past 35 years. Brenda worked in Wickenburg for ten years as a private duty nurse. During this time, Brenda together with Bill rented a two story house on Washington Street, which they painted and renovated with $400 insurance money from a lost engagement ring. They co-founded My Father's House' there in 1979 offering room and board for seniors. They started out with one resident. By 1982 with seven residents living with their family, they had outgrown the property on Washington Street. They applied for a supervisory care license and moved to Jefferson Street where My Father's Retirement Ranch was born. Brenda's vision to care for the needs of the whole person and to value people, treating them with dignity and respect has hugely influenced the ethos of the ranch and over the years My Father's Retirement Ranch' has steadily grown in size to become the establishment it is today. For Brenda, her job at the ranch was not just work, it was her vocation and calling. She cared deeply about each resident and would often check up on a resident she was concerned about before retiring for the night herself. Brenda lit up when any of her grandbabies came into the room. She kept a store of toys and books up at the house for them to read and play with and enjoyed the long summer party where each evening they would come up to the "gramdma's" to swim and eat. Outside of family and the business, Brenda also loved to collect antiques of all descriptions but one of her favorite pastimes was collecting antique dolls, which she displayed in antique prams, cradles and baskets all over the house. Another of Brenda's loves was chocolate and she was especially fond of chocolate chip cookies and brownies! Brenda had a big heart and never lost sight of the underprivileged in society. In latter years Brenda took a keen interest in a medical clinic in the Barrio in Rocky Point that provided medical care free of charge to those who would otherwise have no access to it. Brenda together with Bill provided a broad range of medical equipment for the clinic along with food and clothing for the children. Brenda was diagnosed with cancer four and a half years ago and has fought the disease bravely during that time period. She endured surgeries and both radiation and chemotherapy and through it all never complained. She lived a full and active life until the last few weeks. Brenda died in the early hours of Sunday 4th September with her family at her bedside, when cancer did not take her life but Jesus, her Lord called her home. The family held a private memorial service for Brenda on Wednesday 7th September. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Wickenburg Funeral Home. Messages of condolence can be left with them at wickenburgfuneralhome.com. A larger memorial service is planned for later in the year followed by a thank you party for their wider family and friends and for all those in the community who have cared for Brenda and supported Bill and the family. In lieu of flowers please send memorial contributions to the Cowles at PO Box 1852, Wickenburg, AZ 85390, with checks made out to "Wickenburg Community Hospital Foundation." to be used for growth and development of medical services in Wickenburg. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" Job 1:21b