| Graduation Year | (unknown) |
| Date of Birth | Sep 21, 1954 |
| Date of Passing | Jan 28, 2026 |
| About | (no additional information) |
| Events | Brenda Burt Dickens passed away peacefully at home on January 28, 2026, at the age of 71. She began her final great adventure surrounded by love. Born on September 21, 1954, in Brigham City, Utah, to Edna and Jerald Burt, Brenda moved to Nevada at just one year old, where she would spend most of her life forging her own path of excitement and enterprise. Brenda had an adventurous spirit from a young age. Even as a small child, she and her late brother, Steven, were always up to something. She particularly enjoyed the time they made money by Christmas caroling door-to-door in July. She grew up riding horses and loved family trips to Mexico. She started dance classes at age four and quickly discovered her love for ballet. In high school, she joined the Sparks High School Drill Team and enjoyed marching in the Nevada Day Parades. In college, she took on challenging courses that led her to hike snowy mountain passes and camp in the desert wilderness. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1976 with a degree in interior design. As a talented ballet dancer, she opened her own small dance studio, STARS, in Sparks, where she shared her love of dance with local children. In 1986, Brenda began working with her mother to grow Edna Skin Care, their family business in Sparks. The company became a local favorite for all-natural skincare products. Brenda helped the business thrive in the Reno-Sparks area and cared deeply for her customers, many of whom she considered friends. Brenda was always genuinely interested in everyone and always up for a good conversation. Brenda was always an entrepreneur, ready to take on new challenges. In the 1990s, she bought and ran a hot dog wagon, making friends with customers at Lowe's stores and local parks. She also invested in rental properties in Reno and Washington State, steadily growing her real estate portfolio. Brenda’s ventures showed her can-do attitude and hands-on approach, as she often did repairs herself. Brenda loved being a mother. Summer days were often spent at the beach, and weekends were spent camping or hiking in the nearby mountains. One year, the family even spent a week camping in Yellowstone. She established early on that her children knew she was there for them. She always took time to chat with her children - or their friends - and would kindly give her loving advice. Her favorite ways to connect with her children were often movement-based: evening bike rides, hikes, step aerobics, karate classes (yes, she joined too), long walks, and yoga, or anything else they could do together. She was both a mother and a friend. Brenda’s adventurous spirit stayed with her throughout her life. She and her devoted husband, Trace Dickens, rode Harley-Davidson motorcycles across the country and through Alaska, chasing open roads, new horizons, and plates of Salmon. Together, they learned to sail, purchased a floating house in the Sacramento Delta, and created countless memories on spontaneous weekend getaways and long drives. Brenda is survived by her loving husband, Trace Dickens; her four children, Aimee, Noel, Skylar, and Sterling and step-daughter, Stacey; and her nine cherished grandchildren, Halston, Payten, Pacey, Hazel, Paris, Monroe, Conrad, Hughes, and Teddy. They will miss her driving them to and from school or to activities, telling them wildly inappropriate stories. They will miss her elaborate Easter Egg hunts and Christmas Eve celebrations, which included performances by all the children, singing carols, and the much-anticipated family poems. She leaves a legacy of boldness, creativity, and joy in life’s adventures. We will miss her cheering beside us at the Nevada Day Parades. Brenda is now on her final adventure. Whether she is riding her Harley or horse through the clouds or dancing in the heavens, we know she is embracing it fully, with her fearless smile. Brenda lived boldly, loved deeply, and inspired those around her to find their own adventures. Her spirit will live on in everyone who knew her. A memorial will be held at her home on April, 19th at 1pm at her home: 7475 Shadow Ln, Sparks, NV 89434. |
