Brenda G. (Greek) Johnson

       Brenda Lou Greek was born August 14, 1953 in Angola, Indiana and passed away May 7, 2020 in Nampa, Idaho. Her parents, Rev. Carl and Lou Greek, pastored in several small towns in Northeast Indiana.  Her grandparents, Dr. Walter B. and Mildred Greek, were also pastors on the Northeastern Indiana District Church of the Nazarene. She was a proud pastor’s kid but always said she didn’t want to be a pastor’s wife.

       When Brenda was 13 years old, her family moved to Selma, Indiana where they ministered at Harris Chapel Church of the Nazarene. It was here she met a shy farm boy that became the love of her life.  Daryl and Brenda were high school sweethearts but were apart for a year as he was a year older and went off to Olivet Nazarene College. She joined him a year later, graduating at the same time in 1974 as she went through college in three years.  We’ll let you guess who was the smarter of the two in that arrangement. They returned to Harris Chapel and were married in this church June 2, 1973. She passed away just shy of their 47th Anniversary. 

       Their ministry career began in Joliet, Illinois where Brenda taught 8th and 5th grade. Daryl was a youth pastor and worked construction. Their journey took them to Kansas City, Kansas where Brenda taught school in the Shawnee Mission School District while Daryl attended seminary and led youth ministry at Overland Park Church of the Nazarene. Their ministry took them to Huntington and Elkhart, Indiana before moving to First Church of the Nazarene in Eugene, Oregon.  In Eugene, Daryl moved into the role of senior pastor and they ministered in Eugene for 16 years.

       While in Eugene, Brenda home schooled their growing family of three boys, Bryan, Chad, and Dustin. She worked in a retail Educational Supplies Store. She also helped start a charter school and launched her own business called Johnson’s Testing and Curriculum Service. She became known for her expertise in curriculum development and the California Achievement Test.  Her church ministry was as the director of the local Caravan program at Eugene First Church. Many fine tributes from those elementary students have been posted on her Caring Bridge page.

       In fall of 2000, they accepted the call to College Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.  Her special interest was in the senior adults of the church and was an honorary member of the Grace Notes Choir playing the bass in their concerts and participating in several trips. This experience resulted in developing some lasting friendships.

       It was in Nampa that her educational career took a new turn as she was offered a job as secretarial staff in the School of Business at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU).  During this time, in order to honor the memory of her mother’s legacy as an elementary school teacher, Brenda pursed her Masters of Business Administration Degree at NNU.  She pursued her education further by getting her Doctorate of Business Administration from Falls School of Business at Anderson, Indiana.  Upon completion of her doctorate, she became a professor at NNU while also directing the MBA Program. She specialized in Business Ethics, Marketing, and Distance Learning. She was innovative in the classroom and passionate about her students. The day before she was admitted for what would be a month long stay in the hospital in March of 2020, she was teaching in the classroom.  After 45 years of education, it was her last time in the classroom as she never fully recovered from the accumulated effects of congestive heart failure.

        A lifelong dream was to teach on the mission field. This dream was fulfilled in the fall of 2016 as she and Daryl spent nearly five months teaching at Africa Nazarene University (ANU). She was so well accepted that she was offered a teaching position, but her love for her five grandkids and students at NNU called her back home.  She was to return two more times to Kenya on international business trips with her students. While in Kenya, she established a non-profit called Mama Brenda’s Ministry to assist a girl’s home in personal and educational supplies. As a memorial to Brenda, you may contribute to that fund by contacting her husband at daryljohnson@nnu.edu.

       The biggest passion of her life became her five grandkids, Trey, Tyler, Carson, Brynlee, and Colton. She was the queen of Amazon shopping when it came to Christmas, birthdays, every other holiday on the calendar and many times for no reason at all.  Brenda was an incredibly generous person and always thinking of others first.  She lived for her students and family.

       Brenda was preceded in death by her grandparents and parents.  She is survived by her husband[JVM1] , Daryl; her only brother, Brent (Melissa) Greek, Columbus, OH; her sons, Bryan and his son Trey, Nampa, ID and Chad (Stephanie) and their children Tyler and Brynlee, Kennewick, WA and Dustin (Amanda) and their children Carson and Colton, Yakima, WA and many nieces, nephews, and adopted in love grandkids from Nampa to Nairobi.

       We give thanks and are continually blessed by the many responses with amazing stories of Brenda’s impact on their lives. Special thanks to her colleagues in the School of Business, friends of the NNU community, and the Human Resources Department. Thank you to some very special friends, you know who you are.  Most of all her amazing sons and their wives who walked this journey with us and were there with us during her transition into the arms of Jesus.

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