Charlotte Brendel

Charlotte Brendel, a beloved mother, grandmother, and quiet pillar of strength, passed peacefully just shy of her 96th birthday. Her life spanned nearly a century of extraordinary change, and through every decade she remained steady, faithful, and fiercely devoted to her family. Born on March 27, 1930, the youngest of two surviving children, she was raised in Independence and graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1948. In 1950, she married the love of her life, Robert Glen Brendel, and together they built a life centered on faith, family, and devotion while raising four children.

Professionally, Charlotte served as Manager of Food Services for the Fort Osage School District from 1975 until her retirement in 1996. In that role, she brought leadership, organization, and the same care and high standards she practiced at home, nourishing generations of students along the way. A good and faithful servant of the RLDS faith for more than 65 years, she was called at the age of 85 to head the women’s department at her beloved Buckner Restoration Branch. With characteristic determination and grace, she made meaningful strides for the women of her congregation, strengthening fellowship, faith, and community in ways that continue to bear fruit.

She is survived by her three children, Steven Glen Brendel, Janet Louise Brendel Hayes, and Robert Dale Brendel; eight grandchildren, Christine Queen, Monica Hayes, Adam and Jocelyn Brendel, T’rese and Erik Anderson, Logan Hayes, and Pyper Brendel; and nine great-grandchildren, Chelsea Queen, Riley Queen, Tristan Anderson, Trinity Anderson, Troy Anderson, Triton Anderson, Arianna Hayes, Charity Brendel, and Nathan Brendel. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Glen Brendel, her daughter Carol Jean Brendel, her parents Walter and Mabel Gross, her sister Betty Jane Leighton-Floyd, and her brother Charles Gross.