Heaven has welcomed another angel. It is with tearful eyes and heavy hearts that we announce that Brenda Shepheard (maiden name Nybirk) has passed on. She left us peacefully while at Nanaimo General Hospital, after a 16 year-long battle against Huntington disease.

Many thanks go out to the staff at the hospital for all they did to make her last days as comfortable and supported as possible. Brenda was born in Comox, but the Qualicum Beach area was her home throughout her childhood and most of her adult life. She loved the beautiful mid-Island region dearly. Raised on a scenic family farm in Qualicum north with her sister and parents, through to raising her own three sons on a hobby farm in Coombs with her first husband Larry (Smyth), she enjoyed gardening and swimming at Cameron Lake all summer long, and winters spent taking her boys to hockey all over the Island and beyond.

Amongst all this, she found time and success as an avid writer for various women's magazines and wrote numerous full-length novels about historic Celtic life, always with coffee and cookies close at hand, and some Creedence Clearwater Revival on the stereo. After her boys had left home, she decided to pursue work out of the home and got involved in the insurance and personal investments industries, first working for an independent brokerage, before embarking on her own brokerage in uptown Qualicum. During this time, she also became an avid kayaker, mountain biker, and took advantage of domestic and foreign travel with what spare time she had with her second husband Ted. And we can't forget all the fun times with her grandkids too.

To the many people who got the opportunity to know Brenda, and share time with her throughout the years, she very much appreciated your friendships, and cherished the many memories of times shared. Due to the inevitable onset of the disease, she took early retirement to capitalize on what years of good health she had remaining, and continued to enjoy many outdoor pursuits, time in her garden or reading a good book, and time with family.

Eventually, selfcare became too much and she moved to Parksville as a resident in a care home for the last number of years. Thanks goes out to the staff who supported her independent, and strong-willed mindset to live the best life she could.

She is survived in spirit, and memory by her sister Sandra Janssen, sons Jody Smyth (Monika), Jason Smyth, and Darrin Smyth, and grandchildren Liam, Natasha, Sheldon, Lindin, Skylar, and Jonathan.

As per Brenda's wishes, there will not be a public service. People who wish to extend condolences can do so via her obituary at qbmemorials.ca and to various family members on social media. It is being asked that those that want to make a difference in support of Brenda, do so through a greater understanding of Huntington disease, which has affected various members of our family for generations.

Learn more at https://www.huntingtonsociety.ca/ and please feel free to donate to their research efforts to end such suffering at https://www.huntingtonsociety.ca/yes-i-want-to-donate/

An absolutely wonderful woman, who was loved immensely will be so dearly missed by many.

Until we meet again, may you rest in eternal peace.