On Monday April 11 at 10:10 AM at age 72, Brenda Leonelli Severson was called home by the Lord.
She passed peacefully out of this world while at Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton, Tennessee after succumbing to an existing medical condition that had been diagnosed approximately a year and a half ago.
Brenda was born on February 18, 1950 in Marietta, Pennsylvania. She was the eldest daughter of Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Gigler and James R. Baskwill.
She graduated from F. D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park N.Y. in 1968.
Her working career began at Luckey, Platt & Company in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., followed by 50 years of employment in the banking industry. Her career in banking took her from N.Y. to Florida and locations inbetween.
It began at Bankers Trust in Kingston N.Y. and ended when she retired in February 2022 from
Citizens Bank in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Those that worked with her through the years knew that they
could always count on Brenda to be professional at all times.
In her youth, Brenda along with her sisters Rhonda & Annette, were members of the Hyde Park Methodist Church Youth Fellowship. She never tired of telling of those treasured memories of canoe trips to the lakes and rivers of the Racket Lake region of New York.
Brenda was a member of the NRA, Elks Lodge and the Moose. She was also a current member the FDR
reunion committee, which are a tight nit group of life long friends who will miss her dearly.
She believed in giving back to the local community by giving to Goodwill, Recovery Soldiers Ministry and
other local organizations. A quilt she once donated to aid those who’s lives were ravaged by forest fires in TN several years ago was featured in the Elizabethton Star, which astonished her.
Brenda enjoyed taking tea on Wednesdays with her friends at Glow Herbals in Elizabethton. She enjoyed
gardening, antiquing and fine dining, as well as traveling and exploring areas of the country that she had
not been before.
There was nothing she enjoyed more than dining with friends and family, reveling in their company and
conversation, especially on holidays when we would gather together at our home.
She was an avid pool player in the APA league for many years as first a team member and later team
captain.
Though we never bowled together, Brenda had a love of the sport and played on a league with her sister
Dawn and one of her most beloved friends, Carol while living in Florida.
She loved reading both fiction and non fiction.
She had a passion for photography, loved hiking and walks on the beach or along rivers. She never tired
of going with friends and family to the Biltmore Estate, Philadelphia flower show, Longwood Gardens or any other arboretum she came across.
Most of all she cherished her time with family. Going through family photos, talking of their history, shared experiences and swapping stories of family members and friends long since gone.
Brenda was always true to herself and unwavering in her principles. She had a wonderful sense of humor and always enjoyed a good joke or humorous story. She was a good listener and would provide words of encouragement as well as advice when asked for it.
She was kind and compassionate and easy to forgive inconsequential trespasses that occur in life.
Brenda believed in being firm and to the point. She was not a fan of drama and approached the world in a no nonsense manner. These were all qualities that endeared her to many.
She loved her friends and family more than they will ever know. That love never wavered, no matter what circumstances existed between them at any given time.
Across the span of our lifetime there are those individuals that enter ones life and change it forever.
Brenda was one such individual in mine.
Though she has left me. I know that one day we will be reunited.
Between now and then I will cherish our time together and the memories of all the adventures and
experiences that we shared together over the course of 26 fabulous years.
She introduced me to her wonderful family and friends that I otherwise would never have had the privilege of meeting. I will always be grateful.
While we mourn the loss of Brenda. In your sadness, cherish and celebrate her life. It is what she would
have desired. She would rather you remember all the laughter and joyful times that you shared together, than dwell upon the chair left empty at the table of our lives. There will always be a place setting for her there.
Because after all, as long as we hold her in our hearts and memories, she is never truly gone.
One day we will meet again. Until that time she will be watching over us all.
Words can not express the depth of my loss. Nor can the previous passages present an adequate
summation of a life well spent and lived. It is merely a brief glimpse through a window of a lifetime that is by its nature inadequate in capturing the full breadth and scope of Brenda’s life. Cherish your memories of her and remember to smile when thinking of or sharing those remembrances.
Brenda was predeceased by her parents, Mary Elizabeth Gigler and James R. Baskwill.
She is survived by her husband Mark Severson, stepfather, Fred Gigler and stepmother, Frances Baskwill.
She is also survived by her siblings; Rhonda Baskwill (Jim Bishop), Dawn Suchy, Denise Phipps (Daniel), Lisa Hoeschele (John), Kimberly White, (John Fernandez), James M Baskwill, Joseph Baskwill, Jeffrey Baskwill (Nicole), Bridget Bogart (Mike), Kathie Maiello, Annette Remy (Don), Kirk White (Sheri), her Aunt Phyllis Davidson (Stephen Gregg) as well as her mother and brother in law, many nieces, nephews, cousins and 3 cats (Silky, Shadow and Simba).
A combined memorial service will be held for both Brenda and here mother, Mary Elizabeth Gigler at the
First Methodist Church of Elizabethton Tennessee on April 30, 2022 at 1:00 PM.
The services will be officiated by Pastor Ray Amos.
Mary Elizabeth’s eulogy will be performed by Pastor Lester, formally of Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church.
Memories and condolences can be shared at www.mtnempirecbs.com. Mountain Empire Cremation and Burial Services, 806 East Jackson Blvd. Suite 5 Jonesborough TN, 37659, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Mountain-Empire-Cremation-and-Burial-Services-101167419104151. 423-547-0379 is honored to be serving the Leonelli Family. The Obituary was written in loving memory by her family.
https://www.mtnempirecbs.com/obituaries/Brenda-J-Leonelli?obId=40505973