Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Brenda Hendricks Kulp, 68, died at home on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 8.

She was a passionate, smart, beautiful woman who, for many years, fought a rare lung disease called LAM and later battled ALS. Never wanting to be a burden, many of her closest friends and family may not have even been aware of either diagnosis. She fought hard, spending time with family, friends, and with daughter and best friend, Lauren.

She was born on April 21, 1953 in Iredell County to Jessie Glenn “Buster” and Emma Evelyn Hendricks. She fondly spoke of growing up on a hundred-acre farm in Mocksville, where her world was small and she developed her work ethic. She was the baby sister to her three older siblings: Betty Witherspoon, Jim Hendricks, and Gary Hendricks. She graduated from Davie County High School in 1971. She continued on as a proud alumnus, attending many of their reunion activities and keeping in touch with classmates on a regular basis. She became a registered nurse, serving in this capacity for 47 years. She put herself through nursing school at what was then Davis Hospital School of Nursing, her bachelor’s in nursing from UNC-Greensboro, and a master’s degree in liberal studies from UNC-Greensboro.She achieved her master’s while working full time and battling a lung disease, writing many papers and attending virtual class and work meetings from her hospital bed. That program gave her an opportunity to take classes in a variety of disciplines she did not get to earlier in life, inspired her to find new interests, and grew her world with culture and perspectives. This is where her desire to write a book about her life grew. She felt pride when professors gave her feedback that she had a special talent for writing, and she spoke about her dream to write a book often in her last few weeks.

She was aorganized, personable, resilient, empathetic, and energetic. She was always working multiple jobs at once, enabling her to engage her skill sets, passions, and interests, and to make sure her family was provided for. She held a number of positions throughout her nursing career in the greater Triad and Triangle areas of North Carolina. Her early days were spent as a school nurse in Wake County driving all over to schools to make sure the medical and public health needs of students and staff were taken care of. She relished serving in a mentoring capacity on the nursing school faculty at Davidson County Community College and as director of nursing in the Davie County Health Department. She found her calling during her time at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the orthopedic trauma specialty. She worked for the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and serving as the executive director of the Southeastern Fracture Consortium to further research and innovation in orthopedic trauma care. She was dedicated about patient advocacy, and was invited to become a member of an advisory board to help medical providers better understand LAM, ALS, and patient needs. In some of her final conversations, she shared ideas for ALS and LAM research to better the lives of others suffering from these diagnoses.

Her biggest joy in life was when her daughter, Lauren, was born They weathered many hard times, as well as countless wonderful memories. They made special trips in recent years, including visiting Waco, Texas to see Brenda’s favorite show “Fixer Upper” come to life, traveling to Ireland, England, and Paris to visit Lauren while she was studying abroad, as well as a three-week cruise that took them all over Asia. She loved crafts and interior design, was an accomplished knitter, quilter, gardener, and crafter. She could come up with a quick fix to any problem around the house or workplace.

Within the last month, she requested that a willow tree be planted on the Hendrick’s family land in Mocksville to ensure that she will always be close to family, home and friends.

Survivors: her daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Kulp of Chapel Hill; and her 2 grand fur-babies Keegan and Trooper; 3 siblings, Betty Witherspoon of Mocksville, Jim Hendricks (spouse Pam Hendricks) of Mocksville and Gary Hendricks (spouse Robin Tower) of Pfafftown.

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 3 p.m. at the Salem Funeral Home Chapel in Winston-Salem, with the family receiving friends following the service

Memorials: foundation in Brenda’s name to benefit others impacted by ALS: https://www.gofundme.com/f/celebrating-the-life-of-brenda-kulp.

Condolences: https://memories.lifeweb360.com/brenda-hendricks-kulp and at www.salemfh.com.