Dates
Brenda June Darnell Owen passed away on March 30, 2026, in San Angelo, TX. She was born on December 14, 1952, to Clarence and Gladys Brown. Brenda was best known as “MawMaw” to her family. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Northridge Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas.
To know Brenda was to love her. Always a ray of sunshine, full of positive, contagious energy and a zest for life that was unmatched. She laughed often, cracked jokes, told stories and “spilled the beans.” If you had a secret, you had better wait to tell MawMaw because she was going to tell everyone she talked to. Not out of malice, rather out of pure joy and desire to share the good news with everyone she knew.
Brenda was a giver. If she saw a need, she met it without hesitation, no questions asked. She lived a simple and humble life but, in retrospect, her life was filled with more riches than any bar of gold could provide. If you ever saw her with her grandbabies then you know exactly how rich she was. Brenda loved her family hard. She once joked by saying, “I sent my kids away as one and they came back with a litter.” Given the chance, she wouldn’t have given anyone back if she had to. She loved us all and nothing made her happier than her family. Brenda cooked and baked us back to good health when we were under the weather. She loved sharing a meal with family, baking up the best coca-cola cakes and the biscuits and gravy tasted like pure love. You see, Brenda had a true servant’s heart. There was nothing pretentious about her. She was genuinely kind and caring. As things with her illness took a turn, she worried. She worried about not being able to fix this or make it easier for her boys. “I’m their momma,” she said. “They aren’t supposed to be taking care of me, I’m supposed to take care of them.” It’s who she was, a nurturer by nature. The beautiful thing is, she taught us how to nurture and care for each other too.
Brenda carried the mail for the post office for approximately 58 years. Fifty-eight years! What a testament to her hard work and dedication. It was something she took pride in but nothing made her happier (other than her family, of course) than fishing and gardening. Both served as respite on hard days, time to reminisce about loved ones, and a way to feed her family and her soul. A lot of fun times were had on the water with MawMaw and a lot of good hot sauce and squash were enjoyed with our meals.
Brenda was preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Gladys Brown, her husband Clyde Owen, daughter Cindy Darnell Baxter, brothers Joe Brown and Galen Brown, sisters in law Betty Brown and Martha Brown. Also preceding her in death were her nephews, Denny Brown and Lancey Brown.
She is survived by her sons, Jody and Victoria Darnell, Monty and Kristi Darnell, and her brother Bill Brown. Also surviving Brenda are her grandchildren Chad and Emily Walter, Guyman and Brittany Richards, Rance and Haley Richards, Bree Darnell-Moore and Laramie Moore, Davin and Taylor Darnell, and Hunter and Mikayla Darnell. Also surviving Brenda are her great-grandchildren, McKayla Walter, Cooper Walter, Charlee Mae Richards, Cutter Richards, Rowen Richards, Sutton Daugherty, Nova Darnell and Cora Darnell. She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews whom she also adored. Brenda also leaves behind some dear friends and a sweet yorkie named Baxi who has taken his rightful place in the Jody Darnell household.
The family wishes to thank Concho Hearts Hospice, namely Sadie and Jolissa and her caretaker, Tina Luna for taking such great care of MawMaw in this short time. Thank you for treating her with dignity and respect.