Brenda Kasani, 77
Mom, Nana, Brenda passed away peacefully on Jan. 26, 2023 in Salida, Colo., near her home of Crestone.
Brenda was born on Feb. 26, 1945, to Harold and Donna Monaghan in Oakland, Calif. She was the second of four siblings; sisters Bonnie and Pat and brother Don. She was raised in Kensington, Calif., through her high school years and spent most of her summers in Lake Tahoe where her family owned Lakeside Resort through the 1950s.
Brenda married Peter Boutell in 1965 in Berkeley, Calif., and gave birth to her first son, Dante, in 1968. The family then moved to Oklahoma where she gave birth to her son, Tai, in 1969. In the summer of 1971 they packed up and drove to Polson, Mont., where the majestic mountains, big blue sky and rural lifestyle captured Brenda's heart. But, it was the tranquil and crystal clear turquoise waters of Flathead Lake where she immediately felt a powerful energy and connection that would last her lifetime.
In 1976, Brenda gave birth to her daughter, Julianna. She raised her children on 40 acres of land where she facilitated in designing and building a house from the ground up, learned weaving, played guitar, wrote poetry, participated in many forms of creative homemaking and even designed some children's toys.
In 1984 the family moved to Santa Cruz, Calif., where she operated a boarding house for college students until 1989.
Brenda was an artist, spending much of her time being creative through writing, painting and photography. Her travels to Montana always inspired her art. She remained in Santa Cruz and Davenport, Calif., until 2019, but always made the trek to the Flathead Lake area of Montana in the summers in Alice, her VW Vanagon. She loved to camp, swim and kayak in the lake and bask in the beauty of the Montana wilderness.
People would always comment on how courageous she was to travel alone and live in her van and to go where she wanted to be. She would say, "It's not courage at all, it's the only way I can live."
It was these adventures that truly nourished her soul.
In 2019 she moved to Crestone, Colo., to spend winters in the high desert mountains. The area is a spiritual mecca and known for its sacred retreats, Tibetan Buddhist centers and Hindu temples. She was drawn to the mystical beauty and energy of the area and spent her final years amongst the 14,000-foot monumental peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a place she felt magically drew her in.
Brenda was never interested in material things, but only lived modestly in the beauty of natural surroundings. She valued nature, relationships and her children and grandchildren above all else. This was her world. She had a vivid imagination and saw all life in a magical way. But her discerning mind also saw the wrongs of society and she did all she could to draw attention to needed changes, most importantly, women's rights.
Everyone saw Brenda/Nana as immortal – above the normal laws of aging and disease, so losing her suddenly was surprising to us all. Despite signs of early memory loss, she had a remarkable memory about the smallest details of her three children and 11 grandchildren, being the most important people in her life. Her stubbornness to live life on her terms was always a dominant theme and she immersed herself in everything that enriched her heart.
Brenda is survived by her sister, Bonnie Perreira of Oakdale, Calif., and brother Don Monaghan of Lincoln City, Ore.; her children Dante (Lisa) Boutell of Ann Arbor, Mich., Tai (Maria) Boutell of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Julianna (Mike) Zapata of Santa Barbara, Calif., and 11 grandchildren.
