Brenda Darnell

My parents had me when they were very young. Right out of high school. Brenda Darnell, my grandmother, said “There is NO way she is calling me grandma. I am too damn young to be a grandma!”

And thus, our G-Mama was born.

G-Mama was beautiful. I remember her spending hours getting ready, curling her hair and doing her makeup. Even if it was just to go to the store. When I was little, she had a pretty extensive nighttime skincare routine. I would sit on the toilet next to the sink and she would take a puff of her Red Door powder and let me use it. So I could have a little skincare routine, too. Then I would climb in bed with her and we would watch Lifetime movies until we fell asleep.

In the mornings, she would make me silver dollar pancakes or let me eat as many bowls id Frosted Flakes as I wanted, until I (literally, this really happened) threw up.

G-Mama was great at many things. Like making the best potato salad I’ve ever had in my life. But the thing she was best at was loving her family.

Us Darnells— we are far from perfect. We can all raise a little hell, but G-Mama always loved us just the same. No matter what any of us could do, I think we all knew that we could call G-Mama and she’d say, “Come on!” Because we would always have a home with her. (Now, she might cuss you to Papa-T when she hangs up that phone! But you’d never doubt for a second that she still loved you.)

I’m going to miss my G-Mama. I’m going to miss listening to her gossip on the phone while she cracks open a cold Diet Dr. Pepper with one hand— all while never dropping her cigarette. Or hearing her yell, “DAMMIT TOMMY!” When Papa-T did something that aggravated her.

I will just miss her.

I know I could have done a better job of telling her this while she was still here. But, I hope she’s looking down, holding hands with Aunt Andrea, and knows that I love her no matter what, too.

We would love to give our G-Mama something beautiful to spend eternity in. Anything helps, but sharing is helpful just the same. Thank you.❤️