SEARSPORT — Brenda Jane Brown, formerly of rural Frederika, Iowa, died at her home in Searsport, Maine, on June 15, 2016. She was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on the rainy morning of May 5, 1982, the daughter of Dennis and Kay Brown of Frederika. Brenda experienced more in her short 34 years than most of us dream of doing in a lifetime.

Brenda open-enrolled from the Tripoli school system to complete her senior year of high school at Waverly-Shell Rock. She blossomed in the new environment that offered diverse and challenging opportunities and she demonstrated there her life pattern of excelling at any venture she pursued. Brenda had studied violin since age 6, but it was the WSR orchestra that gave her the first opportunity to participate with a group of fellow musicians. She graduated from WSR in 2000, ranking third in her class.

Brenda achieved a bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa, where she graduated in 2004, summa cum laude (with highest honors). During one semester of her studies, Brenda participated in the National Student Exchange program as a student at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, Alaska.

She and her mother graduated from UNI on the same day in May 2004, and in celebration, the two of them packed one medium-sized backpack that included all the supplies that would serve the two of them for the six-week trip they had planned: exploring Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They went on a budget, staying nights in hostels (rooms that were typically shared by other people and not always all females) and where sleep was often interrupted by the lights and noise of sometimes rowdy roommates returning in the early morning hours. There, Brenda and her mother acquired an enduring taste for the delicious brown Norwegian goat cheese and typically enjoyed Norway's crunchy nugatti spread on some local bread for their noon meals. The fun memories created on this trip eased the family's transition when Brenda set off on her next venture.

Brenda loved Alaska and returned to Juneau after graduation from UNI. She worked for a short time at the university and also as a tour guide for helicopter tours to the nearby glaciers before becoming employed in the vocation to which she devoted her life: caring for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. She worked for five years at the Alaska Network for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Juneau. This central office served as a resource to direct-care agencies throughout the state of Alaska. Brenda was responsible for organizing informational and training sessions to satellite offices across the state and had many opportunities to travel to remote areas of Alaska to help with these presentations.

Reflective of the unique and remarkable individual she was, she called her dad one day from Juneau and asked, "Dad, what do you think about my buying a sailboat?" Fed up with high rent and disagreeable landlords, she purchased (paid in full with her own money) a 28-foot sailboat that docked in the Juneau harbor and served as her primary home for the duration of her residency in Alaska. She showered at the Y on her walk to work each day and resold the boat at a 50 percent profit when she eventually left Juneau.

The bug for travel was at work inside Brenda and she responded by studying the Russian language at the local university in preparation for the next big trip she took—mostly on her own. She traveled from Poland to the southeast tip of Russia, returning down the northwest coast of Norway. This experience was really her way of testing the water and it went well. Brenda gained confidence and learned that she preferred traveling on her own. So in May of 2008 she gave up her job in Juneau and set about preparing plans to fulfill her ultimate dream.

First she made ready to haul all her things back to Frederika and she graciously allowed her mother once again to join in the fun. The plan was for her mother to fly up to Juneau, then share the land trip home from Alaska. The trip relied upon her beloved Jeep pulling a U-Haul trailer — both filled to the hilt with all her life possessions. The adventurers purchased a $25 Walmart tent that they used for accommodations throughout the three-week trip back to Iowa. They relied on a gallon tin can powered by Sterno heat to cook all their meals along the way. Only a single stop at a Pizza Hut broke that routine. The amazing thing was that Brenda never learned how to back up with a trailer in tow and she managed to make that 3710-mile trip home without incident.

Then before long Brenda lived her dream and took off again on the trip of a lifetime: an 18-month trip around the world. She went alone with only a backpack full of supplies that she had carefully disguised to conceal her American heritage. She visited every continent on the globe except Antarctica, traveling as one of the locals and observing up close the variety of cultures that exist throughout the world. Only if you asked, would she admit that she financed that trip completely on her own, budgeting sometimes how many cents she allowed herself to spend on any given day. Unbelievably, she took not a single photo on her trip; she did not take a phone or a camera because she did not want to be perceived as a tourist.

Brenda and her mother went on one final trip only weeks before her death. They went together—first class this time—on a guided trip to China, Tibet and Hong Kong. Political unrest in Tibet during Brenda's earlier travels had prevented her visit there. It had been a disappointment to her then and visiting Tibet was an item high on her bucket list. Her mother had the immense privilege of sharing that experience and helping her to cross that destination off her list. They had a marvelous time together there and in San Francisco on the way home: walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Alcatraz and having the prime seats on a trolley car ride up the hill overlooking the bay. It was time on their own, time jam-packed with exploration of attractions in that city and it was a wonderful time shared.

Brenda lived her life to the fullest. Beyond her travels she was a naturally-gifted swimmer. We called her our "mermaid" and marveled at her grace in the water. She achieved Advanced Open Water Diver credentials from the PADI Diving Society for her expertise in scuba diving and delighted in ocean explorations in areas such as those off the coasts of Australia, South Africa and South America. She also became a skillful skier by practicing regularly on the slopes of Alaska. She told adventurous tales of her experiences participating in weekend-long sailboat races around the islands near Juneau. She even gave dog-sledding a try. She delighted in trying new foods and loved baking. Her apple pie was the best in the world and she made it her goal to try every rhubarb recipe in the book.

Brenda, known by the email name, "hugs_are_contagious," was immensely creative and loved colors (especially green and yellow). She was a masterful seamstress and crocheter, creating patterns in her head and converting them into amazingly beautiful works of art

Consideration for others was at the core of Brenda's character. She was especially careful to acknowledge the birthdays of everyone around her. Her nieces and nephews will always remember their Auntie Brenda for the delightfully fun books they would receive from her every Christmas and birthday.

She will be sorely missed by those of our family who survive her: her mother and dad, Kay and Dennis Brown of Frederika, Iowa; her siblings, Jill Backus of Columbia, Mo., Julie Faust of Plover, Wisc., and Mark Brown of Waterloo, Iowa; her Grandpa (Don) Brown and her Grandma (Gertie) Wright both of Waverly; her nieces and nephews, Jacob, Zeke, Zemi, Hannah and Zivah; and her friend, Wayne Gardiner.

She was preceded in death by her Grandma-Brown-in-the-Blue-Dress (Ginny), Grandpa (Charlie) Wright and Grandma (Alene) Brown.

A gathering for friends and family will be held on Friday, July 1, 2016, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly to honor Brenda's life and to offer an opportunity to express condolences to those who so deeply loved her.

According to Brenda's wishes, her body was cremated. There will be no formal funeral service.

Because of Brenda's tireless devotion to helping victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, we believe she would want us to encourage trying to limit the number of expensive store-bought flower arrangements. We think she would have preferred some pretty wild flowers or something homegrown — simple and from your hearts.

To honor her memory, the family will pool any memorial monies and donate them to a local agency that services victims of these crimes. Memorials may be directed to Dennis and Kay Brown, 1141 Navaho Avenue, Sumner, IA 50674.

Arrangements are under the care of Riposta Funeral Home.