Brenda "Benny" O'Bryan

Brenda Faye (Myers) O’Bryan - affectionately known as Benny - met her Jesus face to face on the evening of February 1, 2025. She transitioned to her eternal home peacefully, surrounded by prayer, songs of praise, and people she loved.

Benny was born on December 28, 1951 (to foster biographical intrigue, she would want us to add she was born in the midst of a snowstorm) in Columbus, Ohio to Clarence and Jeannette Myers, whom she dearly loved. She loved to reminisce about the childhood adventures she shared with her two older brothers and sister [Jimmy (Debra), John (Judie), and Jackie Myers], all of whom were her lifetime closest friends (though she would also want us to add that once when she was very young, her siblings conspired to fill her snowsuit with snow, and she never let them forget their childhood transgression). Benny graduated in 1969 from Walnut Ridge High School, but she would want you to know she considered herself a Gahanna Lincoln Lion, having attended there and playing clarinet in the marching band until her junior year. She loved learning and enjoyed school, but she told far more stories of her post-graduation backpacking trip across Europe than she did of her scholastic career.

Benny spoke so fondly of her early years, but she would tell you her life really began in January 1974, when a young woman lost in the world called out the name “Jesus” from the east Columbus apartment she shared with her sister. She would tell you the Holy Spirit filled her little home, and in a single instant, the entire trajectory of her life was changed. Benny gave her heart to Jesus, and we – her children and grandchildren – are likely only here today because of this decision. 

Months later, she met Rev. Jack O’Bryan, the man God destined her to love (though she would want you to know she saw him once at a church event when she was a little girl, and she told her sister that evening she would marry him some day). Jack and Benny were engaged on their first date and married in June 1974 “in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout,” as she liked to remind us. Together, Jack and Benny pastored churches throughout the country, cared for more than 40 children in foster care, won countless souls for Jesus, and raised three daughters, who were the lights of their lives: Pastor Olyvia (Tommy) Frederick, Dr. Diana (Jack) Liu, and Morgan O’Bryan. They were also the remarkably present, relational, and proud grandparents of Rebekkah (Brandon) O’Bryan; Rachael (Cary) Taylor; Leah Frederick; and John, Liam, Colin, and Cate Liu, as well as the loving great grandparents of Mackenzie and Sadie Taylor. For their children and grandchildren, beloved brothers and sisters, precious nieces and nephews, and for anyone lucky enough to find themselves sitting across from them on the well-loved couch of their living room, Jack and Benny’s was a home bursting with love, with joy, and with Jesus. They remained blissfully in love their entire 39 years of marriage; until his passing in 2013, Jack still chased his “Babo” around the house for kisses and was happiest by her side.

If you know Benny, you know how impossible it is to convey her magic with mere written words. She was complex and layered, a truly dynamic character. Though she swore she was a natural introvert, she navigated life with this centripetal force of love, laughter, and just a pinch of mischief that drew people in and made her the center of every gathering. 

Her joy was both contagious and unwavering, persistent in even the most challenging circumstances. From her hospice bed, she prayed over her visitors, spoke life over her loved ones, encouraged her caregivers, and woke every morning with the intention to make people laugh (she, of course, succeeded). Her joyful disposition, however, should not be confused with docility. She was a powerful warrior in every sense, protecting her babies fiercely and breaking generational curses so they may know true freedom; praying down the Heavens to wage war on principalities; defeating two cancer diagnoses before a long battle with the third that defied science and surpassed her prognosis; and perhaps most significantly, dutifully carrying a tape measure on her person at all times so that on any given trip through the drive-thru, she could evaluate the height of her McDonald’s ice cream cone, ensuring it adhered to the required three-inch standard (we know you must be shocked to learn too many cones failed her quality assurance inspections and were swiftly returned).

She juiced raw carrots and greens for their health benefits but would happily eat a dozen donuts if we didn’t intervene. She sat on her patio to watch the hummingbirds feed but also to spy on her neighbors. She hated curse words in movies but didn’t believe rating systems were relevant if the film had any historic merit (some of her grandbabies claim she may have let them watch The Amistad with her before they were out of elementary school, but she could neither confirm nor deny). She loved lipstick and copious amounts of hairspray, but she never failed to declare her girls beautiful in their most natural states. She knew her beloved Jacko would always have her heart, but she nursed persistent crushes on Sam Elliott and Mark Wahlberg. She enjoyed Kirk Franklin, The Carpenters, worship music, and also the occasional song by Lil Wayne. She longed to be with her Jesus and Jacko in Heaven, but she clung to this life with her girls and grandbabies. 

If she could tell you anything, dear reader, she would tell you that Jesus is still in the business of performing miracles. He may not have healed her earthly body, but He sustained her spirit, walked through this life with her, and carried His faithful servant safely home. She would tell you that if He could love her, change her life, and be her very best friend, He could do the same for you – you only have to call on His name.

And if we, her family, could tell you just one thing, we’d tell you Benny got it right; she didn’t have to be perfect because her love was, and that love covered any mistake she would have you believe she made. She believed in us no matter the circumstances, loved us without a single condition, walked with us hand-in-hand through life’s valleys and peaks, and helped us find joy and beauty from the ashes we sometimes found ourselves in. She was so filled with the love of Jesus that it overflowed from her heart to ours. She was a walking miracle, and we will forever be grateful she was ours.

Benny is survived by her siblings, her sisters-in-law and brother-in-law who she loved as her siblings, her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, grandsons-in-law (whom she lovingly called her Bearded Boys), great grandchildren, nieces and nephews who she adored, and an immeasurable number of people who called her their friend, mentor, and safe space.

Her family will receive friends on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 from 4 to 7:00pm at the Cotner Funeral Home, 7369 E. Main St. Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Benny’s funeral service will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 10:00am at New Beginnings Assembly of God, 492 Williams Rd. Columbus, OH 43207. Interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens.

The O'Bryan family suggests memorial donations in Benny's name to: CarePortal.

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