Brenda Diane Doster

Brenda Doster, age 51, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, July 15th, 2018. Born February 3rd, 1967, Brenda was the youngest child of Vivian and William Briggs. Her siblings (Bill, Debbie, Tom & Paul) remember her as a constant presence in their activities, and she loved them all dearly. Brenda attended Portage Northern High School and graduated in 1985. Throughout her teen years, Brenda could be found skating her way through Rollerworld, with her lifelong best friends in tow: Val Skiles, Cindy Van Epps Fleck & Connie Sackett-Harris. Together, their friendship endured love, loss and, of course, more than a few shenanigans; although no one can quite agree on who was the worst influence. On June 3rd, 2000, Brenda married the love her life, Daniel Doster, her husband of 18 years. As their song, Time in a Bottle, states so perfectly, "If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true, I'd save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you." Their love for one another was evident in the way they cared for one another, even if it meant that Brenda had to throw something at Dan to get him to agree with her. Together, they raised three boys, Terry, Nathan and Nicholas. Brenda ensured the boys were involved in sports, sitting at every game, yelling when the referee made a mistake and always cheering on her boys. While her three boys were the light of her life, the immense joy of her grandchildren was immeasurable in comparison. She was a devoted Grammy, spending countless hours playing and creating arts & crafts. Brenda made sure that her Grandchildren put on a pair of rollerskates as soon as they learned to walk, so that they too could develop a love for skating. Often Brenda took on a mothering role for the Grandchildren, insisting they eat their vegetables and would search for new recipes to try out on them. Brenda enjoyed all of her extracurricular activities such as knitting, crocheting, cooking, collecting cast iron pans and loving her animals. She spent years volunteering with the Forresters with her husband Dan. Brenda deeply loved her family and friends. She is survived by her husband Daniel Doster, her parents Vivan and William Briggs; children: Terry Blanchard, Nathan (Maggie) Dimmick, Nicholas Dimmick (Amanda Perkins); grandchildren: Brandon, Emily, Phillip, Landon, Sophia, Alex, Olivia, Emerson and Carter; siblings: Tom (Stephanie) Briggs, Debbie Snell (Ken Dedie), Bill Briggs and Paul Norg; her nieces and nephew: Kaitlyn, Genevieve and Michael Briggs; many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. A cemetery service and dedication will be held for family and friends on Friday, July 20th, 2018 at 12:00 at Hope Cemetery, 8501 South 8th Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan. An informal gathering will be held following the cemetery service at Main Street Pub located at 5462 Gull Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49048. A private burial will be held for family on Monday, July 23rd, 2018. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Humane Society of Kalamazoo, envelopes will be available at the cemetery service.