Brenda Kay (Jans) Darling

Brenda Jans Darling (49), daughter, sister, mother, niece, aunt, friend, teacher, mentor, and role model, passed away at her home in Montevideo, MN on September 21st, 2022.

Funeral services will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church on Saturday, October 1st at 3:00pm (220 S 13th St, Montevideo, MN).

Visitation will be held Friday, September 30, 2022 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Anderson - TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.

Arrangements are with Anderson - TeBeest Funeral Home of Montevideo. www.andersontebeest.com

She is preceded in death by grandparents Jake and Winnie Jans, Clarence and Grace Riecke, uncle Stanley Harms, and brother-in-law Sean Gallimore.

As the first-born to Rodney and Martha Jans on April 16, 1973, in Montevideo, MN, she set the bar high for her three sisters, Laura (Gene) Streich, Debra (Sean Gallimore) Jans, and Anna (Michael Barber) Jans. She transformed into a fierce advocate of a mother for Cadence Jans (18) and Rowan Darling (15), who enchanted her world with love and purpose. She is also survived by nieces and nephews Gage Wambeke, Stephan Streich, Blake Streich, Sydni (Jacob) Kirkwood, McKayla Streich, Ashtyn Streich, and great nephew Bentley Loftberg.

A graduate of Montevideo Sr. High School (’91), Brenda received her bachelor’s degree (’95) in Music from Luther College in Decorah, IA, and obtained her master’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education at Eastern Illinois University in 2014.

For her outstanding graduate research, creative activity, and scholarship while teaching at International American schools in Seoul, South Korea (2010-14), and Jakarta, Indonesia (2014-16) she was awarded the esteemed King-Mertz of Excellence in the College of Sciences Research in 2015 before returning to her hometown of Montevideo to share her teaching talents in both choir and math from 2017-2021.

Her international career allowed her to travel the globe and expose herself and her children to different cultures and cuisines. Together they enjoyed exploring Western and Eastern Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Brenda was known for being ruthlessly kind, terribly generous, awfully smart, and wickedly funny. She was seriously not serious, refined but not pretentious, goofy yet classy, and amazingly personable.

Her soul was composed of music. Her mind, written with words from classic literature to contemporary works.

Finally, her earthly body could no longer contain her and released her to the heavens, which, if you listen closely, are alive with the sounds of her running with gazelles through celestial plains.

Brenda’s impact is mighty. And for those touched by her, she will never be forgotten.