Brenda Minkoff passed away on May 24, at Eastside Medical Center, Snellville, after a 2.5 year battle with cancer left her with health complications.
Brenda was born on March 25, 1946, at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta to parents Henry Ford and Juanita Dunn Ford Roberts. She graduated from Avondale High School and met her husband of many years, Michael, in the 1980s.
In the 1980s and 90s Brenda and Michael owned a large home in Decatur. Her oldest son Steven had a habit of bringing home children who were homeless, pregnant, on drugs and or alcohol and basically homeless and in some sort of predicament or discarded by their own families. Brenda never turned away a child and gave them the love, affection, stable home life and everything else a mother would do. Over the years Brenda and her husband adopted some and all of them still are very close and consider Brenda their mother.
She is survived by her husband Michael Minkoff, son Steven Harwood and daughter-in-law Jennifer Harwood; daughter Erica Minkoff-Dismukes and son-in-law Nequay Dismukes; daughters Judy Linton, Kimber Hudson, Estela Cueneca, Denise Simms; sons Alfonso "David" Del Negro, Nathan Dwight;11 grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 3, 1 p.m. at Levett Funeral Home, 1041 Bryant Street, Conyers.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Levett Funeral Home.
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A Son's Final Farewell
Last night (May 24, 2014) was probably one of the hardest nights of my life. My mother passed away. Her heart gave out in the ICU of Eastside Medical Center in Snellville. As I watched, six nurses and a doctor work feverishly and non-stop for 15 minutes or better at bringing her back with not even a glimmer of a result. My father and I had to finally make the call to stop them. We both knew at that point she was gone. Besides her heart giving out the constant complications from her cancer were just too much.
So, I woke up this morning and the full reality of my mother being gone has fully set in, sorry if I'm rambling.
To my mother Brenda, thank you for my life, thank you for the love you have given to me, thank you for all the support you showed me and thank you for all the sacrifices you made for me. I love you and I will see you again but for now I will miss your touch, your voice and your smile. R.I.P. Mom.
Your Son,
Steven
A Husband's Letter To His Wife
To my precious wife and best friend.
Bre,
There is no way I could stand up here in front of all our friends and family and read this to you without totally breaking down. That is why Rev. Jimmy Wilson is here to say what I can't. I know you have a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face looking down seeing Mr. Wilson.
From day one, you have been my whole world. You are my strength, my sunshine and just basically my whole life. All through the many many years we had together, you have always filled the void and emptiness within me by just being you. You totally completed me in every aspect of my existence.
We have a wonderful, beautiful "very large" family I attribute to your undying kindness and generosity in opening our home to all the wonderful children over the years. No longer are they "children" (except to us) but they have matured into wonderful, caring adults that you can be so very proud of because of your teachings to them. They still carry all of you within them in no matter where they go and what they do. You were the driving force that made them into who they are today. Do not forget for one second all the wonderful, beautiful grandchildren they gave us that I know you are very proud of.
I know you worry about all our children since you were called home. Let me assure you, they will all be fine because of how we raised them to be kind, considerate, responsible adults.
I have yet to meet a person that I have told of your being called home that did not shed a tear and just absolutely adore you. Your love, kindness and just being you towards everyone was just so wonderful that it is what I attribute to everyone just adoring you to no end.
Peaches, I will not say good-bye but I will say, "Night Night, Daddy Loves You" (like I have said to you every night for so many years). I will be with you once again when the Good Lord decides it is my time to be called home and I join you for all eternity.
143, Daddy
