Celebration of Life Gathering
Episcopal Church of All Saints-
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Email Details
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1559 Central Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202
1949
Sherilyn
2016
Sherilyn Ruth Brandenstein
September 25, 1949 — June 6, 2016
Sherilyn R. Brandenstein
Indianapolis, beloved sister, niece, cousin, friend and colleague was born in Philadelphia, PA on September 25, 1949 to Robert L. and Virginia R. (Meckel) Brandenstein, and her untimely passing came on June 6, 2016. Her rich and varied life journey took her to a range of locales across the country, and she carried her passion for life, peace, justice, equality, nature, creativity and education into the many forms of service within the circles of family, friends, workplace and spiritual community. She is preceded in death by her father and mother, and is survived by sister, Dawn (Everett) Davis, Crawfordsville, IN, brother, Norman R., Indianapolis, IN, other extended family and many friends in Indiana, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and beyond.
Sherilyn was an eternal student and impacted many lives with her experience and knowledge in things spiritual, artistic and healing, and through varied initiatives in the pro-peace/anti-war, social justice and women's movements. She completed her undergraduate degree at the Community College of Denver (CO), a Masters in American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, and chaplaincy training at Methodist Hospital, Houston. The breadth of her career path included: many clerical positions in academic and human service settings, field work with National Public Radio (NPR), public history and ecological agencies, chaplaincy in rehabilitation and hospice settings. Most recently, she provided clerical support to the First Baptist Church Athletics Program and had retired as an activities coordinator at The Hearth at Windemere, Fishers, who provide assisted living, memory care and respite care residential services for seniors. Her journalistic bent was manifested in various writing outlets and previously on-air with public radio interviews.
Sherilyn's spiritual life was formed in childhood in the American Baptist Church, and focused in her adult life in the traditions and communities of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) with the Friends Meeting of Austin, TX and the North Meadow Circle of Friends, Indianapolis. Spirit was also present for Sherilyn while walking the trails or bird-watching in local, state and national parks and nature preserves, from the dunes, grasslands and woods of Indiana, to the mountains and forests of Colorado, the vast ranges of Texas, or the splendor of the sacred Navajo Mountain of Tonalea, Arizona.
As an avid arts participant and patron, Sherilyn combined music and fine arts throughout her life, playing the piano, guitar (self-taught) and timpani, and engaged in vocal music in worship and choral settings, including the Tapestry Singers - Austin Women's Chorus. In addition to her own dabbling in design arts, the collections of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indiana and Western Art sustained her love for the American Southwest, and those of the Indianapolis Museum of Art encompassed her interest in works housed in the galleries, as well as the wild flora and fauna covering the grounds. Other cultural and educational interests included memberships with the IUPUI University Library and the Indianapolis Public Library, local women's book and film clubs, and attendance at dance, theater and the performances of many music genres, as well as on broadcasts of WFYI PBS/NPR programs.
Sherilyn was also a sports fan, particularly University of Texas women's basketball and the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers. She had a wonderful sense of humor, loved children and reveled in their unique and sometimes inexplicable logic. She was an old soul with a very young heart.
Sherilyn's connections with people were a hallmark of a family tradition of "meeting no strangers." Her ability to be present, listening, reflecting and sharing empathically provided rich opportunities across the spectrum of faith, race, gender and age. Her laughter and playful spirit touched many lives and will be sorely missed.
Dawn and Norman wish to extend heartfelt gratitude to the myriad of friends who joined them through the two days of uncertainty and conclusion of life in the ER and ICU units, including: George, Kevin, Alexia, Beth, Roberta, Judy and other close friends from local circles of Friends Meeting and the women's community, as well as the staff of the Bishop T. Garrett Benjamin Junior Senior Living Center.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at the Episcopal Church of All Saints, Indianapolis, on Saturday, July 23, 4:00 p.m. Memorial gifts may be sent to the North Meadow Circle of Friends Meeting, 1710 North Talbot Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Sherilyn Ruth Brandenstein, please visit our flower store.
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