NAUGATUCK — Jeanne S. Brenia, 71, wife of Bruce W. Brenia, died peacefully on June 11, 2021, at The Hearth at Southbury.
Jeanne was born Aug. 22, 1949, in Norwich, a daughter of the late Henry and Evelyn (LaCroix) St. Germaine, and had lived in Naugatuck most of her life.
Jeanne attended Norwich Free Academy for high school and graduated in 1967. She then went on to Boston College and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 1971. Her first job was as a registered nurse in pediatrics at Tufts-New England Medical Center. In 1972, she married Bruce and shortly thereafter they moved to Naugatuck. She then began working at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, where she continued to work throughout the rest of her career. She was a childbirth educator, natural family planning instructor, and she later went on to become a board certified lactation consultant. Her true passion, and where she spent the majority of her career, was in the Women and Infants Center helping mothers navigate through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. She retired in 2013.
Jeanne enjoyed walking, traveling, going to the beach, attending church functions, dancing, and most of all, spending time with her family and close friends. We will all miss her great sense of humor, her infectious laugh and her kind smile.
In addition to her husband, Bruce, Jeanne is survived by her children, Carolyn Britt and her husband, Thomas, Richard Brenia and his wife, Jessica, and Jacqueline Dibble and her husband, Matthew; her grandchildren, Allison, Michael, Meghan, Victoria, Olivia and Abigail; her sisters, Anne Murphy, Carol O’Neil and her husband, Jack; and several nieces and nephews.
Jeanne’s family would like to thank the people who helped care for her over the last several years including Anita Finkle, Marie Fober and Sandra Tally, as well as all of the dedicated caregivers at the Hearth in Southbury.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, June 18, 2021, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 318 Church St., Naugatuck. Everyone attending is asked to please meet directly at church. Burial will be private. Calling hours are Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Buckmiller Thurston Mengacci Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Ave., Naugatuck.
In lieu of flowers and to honor Jeanne’s memory, donations are requested to the Alzheimer’s Association, CT Chapter, 200 Executive Blvd S., #4B, Southington, CT 06489.
To leave an online condolence, visit buckmillerthurstonmengacci.com.
