FAYETTEVILLE — Brenda Joyce DeWeese Bowlin,

80, of Fayetteville, passed away on December 16, 2021. She will be sorely missed by the proprietors of local antique shops, which she visited frequently, by the neighborhood deer, whom she adored and fed regularly, and by her dogs, who were always underfoot.

Born in Berryville, on August 3, 1941, Brenda was a survivor of near-unparalleled ability. When she was 13, she contracted polio and stayed alive for long months inside of an iron lung, in recovery centers located in Warm Springs, Ga., and Hot Springs, Ark. She would go on to complete her bachelor’s degree at Arkansas Tech, where she would meet her devoted husband, Philip. The couple moved to Fayetteville so Brenda could pursue and complete her master’s degree in Education, with a specialization in Counseling, and the couple called the Ozarks home for the next fifty years. Brenda loved working at Fayetteville High School’s West Campus, where she touched numerous lives and helped so many students. Despite experiencing a horrific car accident in 2006 that would have claimed the life of someone less ornery, she thrived for the next fifteen years as an adventurous retiree and amazing grandmother.

She is survived by her loving siblings, her brother, William DeWeese, and sister, Rebecca Harris, her dashing sons, Barrett and Ryan; her lovely daughter-in-law, Caroline; her adoring grandchildren, Sierra and Cormac; and her two guardian Bichon Frisés, Callie and Sassy. An interment ceremony for both Brenda and her husband, Philip, will be held at Fairview Memorial Gardens, in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday, April 16, at 2 p.m., 1728 East Mission Boulevard. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Arkansas Children’s Northwest Hospital, 2601 Gene George Boulevard, Springdale, Ark., 72762. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service. Online condolences may be sent to the family at: nelsonfuneral.com. Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. 2022.