Brenda Lee Christensen

Brenda Lee Christensen, beloved friend,aunt, sister, mother and grandmother, entered into rest unexpectedly and too soon on August 9, 2026 at the age of 64.

Brenda was born February 9, 1962, to Georgia (Winslow) Davis and Robert L. Christensen.

Full grown, she was a tiny 4 feet 10 inches tall with auburn hair, sparkling eyes, and unmistakable dimpled grin. Brenda was a charmer from the very beginning. It was nearly impossible not to smile when Brenda smiled.

The middle child of five siblings, Brenda somehow managed to remain everyone’s ally. She never took sides in the inevitable sibling battles and had a special way of making each person feel like she was on their side. That ability to connect with people stayed with her throughout her life.

Brenda grew up in remote Grangemont and graduated from Orofino High School as a genuine Orofino Maniac. As a young woman, her nomadic spirit took her from home to the Tri-Cities and eventually to California, where she met Lewis List iII. Brenda and Lewis married in 1988 and later settled in Clarkston, Washington, closer to her childhood home. Together they raised their daughter there and although Brenda and Lewis later divorced, their friendship endured, and they remained best friends until the end, both eventually following their daughter and her husband and settling in Nampa Idaho.

Throughout her life, Brenda worked a variety of jobs. She was a waitress, card dealer, daycare and Head Start worker, convenience-store clerk, finally ending her career in food service. Wherever she worked, she had a gift for making friends and was often a favorite among her coworkers and customers. She had an especially natural connection with children. The little ones she cared for loved Brenda because, in many ways, she seemed like one of them; small, playful, funny, warm, and completely herself.

Brenda’s life was not always easy. She endured far too many devastating losses and faced struggles with addiction and mental health. She experienced difficult seasons that took her places she never intended to go. But those struggles were only part of her story, not the whole of it. Beneath them was a woman with a big heart, a quick smile, a mischievous spirit, and an ability to make people feel seen and loved.

The greatest lights of Brenda’s life were her daughter and her grandchildren. She adored them fiercely and took special care to know each of them for who they were—their individual interests, personalities, talents, and dreams. She had a way of making each grandchild feel as though they were the most important person in the room.

Brenda will be remembered for her sparkling eyes, her infectious grin, her humor, her stubborn determination, and the love she gave in her own unique way. She leaves behind a family who knew both the challenges she faced and the beautiful person who lived underneath them all.

Brenda was preceded in death by both of her parents and her infant son Lewis List IV. She is survived by her four siblings, Deborah Keener (Pullman), Robert Christensen (Kooskia) Margaret Cowger (Orofino) and Cynthia O’Brien(Orofino), several nieces and nephews, her best friend Lewis List (Nampa) her daughter, Bridget(Randy) Cripe, four grandchildren; Devon, Hailey, Trevor and Rylee Cripe and one beautiful, new great granddaughter, Zaylee Cripe, all of Nampa.

She was small in stature, but Brenda lived a life that left a big imprint on the people who loved her. As she would have said, good things really do come in small packages.