Alumni engagement and philanthropy

 

Brenda Schjelderup (née Leighton), BA (died 27 December 2018, aged 68)

 

Obituary submitted by Brenda's husband, Per

 

Brenda was from Coleraine. She was educated at Coleraine High School before graudating with a BA in Geography from Queen's in 1973. She went on to Stranmillis College for a further year, before working as a teacher in Larkfield Secondary School in Belfast for two years.

 

We met at Queen’s Elms in 1970 and got married in 1973. After my year as a houseman in the Belfast City Hospital, we settled in my home country of Norway. Brenda learned Norwegian very quickly and spoke with hardly a trace of an accent. She taught at primary school level right up until she took ill in 2016. She was always well liked and popular with other staff, pupils and parents alike. She had that natural command of the classroom that many teachers would envy. She taught all subjects, Norwegian as well as English. Many were the pupils that left her school with a hint of her Coleraine accent when speaking English.

 

She loved outdoor life and became a very accomplished cross-country skier. She was a huge fan of all winter sports, particularly biathlon.

 

Although Brenda spent all of her adult life in Norway she never took citizenship and remained British to the core all of her life.

 

Brenda was the proud mother and grandmother of two sons and four grandsons. She was a true family person and just loved being a grandmother.

 

There is so much to be said about Brenda. She was a friendly, outgoing and joyful person. She was so full of positive energy and would always bend backwards to help others. We had a very happy life together and to me, Brenda was the best thing ever to come out of Ireland.

 

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