Wendy Phelps West Brenninkmeijer (1959 – 2015)
May 8, 1959 – May 1, 2015
Wendy was born on May 8, 1959 in New Jersey. After prolonged complications with bone cancer, she passed away peacefully in her Santa Barbara home on May 1, 2015 with her beloved husband and three children present. Wendy grew up with her four siblings in Bernardsville, New Jersey. She attended Ethel Walkers boarding school (Classof ’77) in Simsbury, Connecticut and subsequently Boston College (Class of ’82) where she received a Bachelor of Arts in History. Later on, Wendy received a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Pacifica Graduate Institute (Class of ’04) in Carpinteria as well as a Health Coaching and Integrative Therapies certificate from the University of Minnesota (Class of ’13). In 2007, Wendy founded Healers West with the mission to create a unified global network of healers and to provide an educational community resource for expanding public awareness of complementary and alternative therapies as related to integrative medicine. During her years at Boston College, Wendy met Titus Brenninkmeijer whom she married in 1986 and together they raised three children – Ian (25), Sophie (24) and Miles (21). Wendy lived in a number of countries with her family including Spain, Germany and Brazil. Wendy will be remembered by her closest family and friends as a person who lived to serve others. Following college, Wendy worked with refugees from El Salvador and Vietnam while serving as an in home trainer for the Refugee Women’s Program in San Francisco. She also worked with North African and Romani refugees in Spain, rural development and family planning programs in Mexico and volunteered among the street children of Sao Paulo’s infamous favelas in Brazil. It was while Wendy was living in Brazil that her husband’s near death experience transformed her life, eventually leading to her training as a Flower Essence Practitioner/Reiki Master. She was a member of the Brazilian flower essence organization Gotas de Flor com Amor and prepared flower essences from her home for family and friends. Wendy cultivated a unique understanding and outlook on her medical situation and treatment. To her, personal healing was not defined by the outcome yet characterized as a spiritual journey and an opportunity to learn not only about herself but also the healing powers of alternative health practices with integrated medicine. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 11:00 am at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, CA. In lieu of flowers, please support The Women’s Wisdom Initiative in remembrance of Wendy. Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary, Santa Barbara, CA. – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=174803466#sthash.t0LERWeN.dpuf
