Brenda Karen Wirt Duff

Brenda Karen Wirt Duff, 72, a retired educator and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, died May 4 in Colonial Beach after a four-year battle with breast cancer. 

She was born March 25, 1950, in Lynchburg, Va., to the late Roy Edward Wirt and Sadie Pinkard Wirt. She was a graduate of Brookville (Va.) High School and earned her bachelor’s degree at Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in special education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She retired in 2015 after 25 years with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, working as a special education teacher and administrator, including many years in the International Baccalaureate program at Randolph Middle School. In retirement, she enjoyed working as a certified fitness coach for women at Curves in King George, Va., where she made many new friends.

Survivors include her husband of 46 years, James R. “Jim” Duff; daughter Whitney Duff Work and her husband, Ryan Work, of Alexandria, Va.; son S. Reid Duff and his wife, Melissa Duff, of Owens Cross Roads, Ala.; grandson Parker Work and granddaughters Adeline Work, Caroline Duff and Abigail Duff; sisters-in-law Virginia Wirt and Martha Wirt of Lynchburg and Wanda Mason of Colonial Beach; mother-in-law, Doris Duff of Charlottesville, Va.; and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Roy Wirt Jr., Paul Wirt, Lois Wirt McFaden, David Wirt, Lewis Wirt, Wayne Wirt and Larry Wirt.

Brenda’s greatest happiness in life was spending time with family, and she dearly loved annual family vacations in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., and Christmas gatherings. She intensely disliked cold weather yet followed Jim to the snow belt side of Cleveland, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie for five long years before moving to North Carolina. She was a lifelong knitter, and creating baby blankets, hats, sweaters and capes for family and friends brought her great joy. After moving to Colonial Beach, she was honored to have been selected as a member of the Garden Club of the Northern Neck.

She wished to offer special thanks to the staff of Hematology Oncology Associates of Fredericksburg, and the family would like to thank the staff of Westmoreland Rehabilitation and Health Care for their care and many kindnesses.

No services are planned at this time but the family hopes to have what Brenda wanted to be a joyful celebration of a life well-lived later. 

If lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated.