Brenda Faye Hyland

To the world she was Brenda Faye Hyland, but to those who had the privilege to know her, she was an angel on Earth. On November 24, 2024, she joined her rightful place in heaven, passing peacefully at home in her sleep after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. Brenda fought cancer bravely, surpassing every doctor's expectations by many years, out of sheer grit and dedication to a family that she loved harder and more profoundly than words can describe. Brenda was born on November 17, 1952, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Buck and Ruby Atkins. In 1964 Buck and Ruby decided to move the Atkins family to the new northern Palm Beach County City of Palm Beach Gardens, becoming one of the first residents of the young city. After serving as a class officer, Brenda graduated in 1970 in the first graduating class of Palm Beach Gardens High School, where she and her sweetheart Bill Hyland etched their names together in the wet sidewalk cement, a loving tribute that remained on the campus until the school was rebuilt decades later. In 1974 Brenda graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and almost 30 years later, she earned her master's degree in social work from Barry University in 2003. Throughout her life she worked to help others, including as a social worker for the Florida Department of Corrections, a parole and probation offer for Palm Beach County, as an elder crime prevention specialist at the Area Agency on Aging, and in so many volunteer roles it would take an entire page to document them all. But Brenda's most rewarding and important work was with her family. She was, unequivocally, the most loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother, who devoted her life and her very big heart to her family. She was the ultimate celebrator of life's milestones, big and small, the most generous giver of gifts and the most grateful recipient, the most thoughtful writer of letters that lifted the spirit and fed the soul, the best hostess of parties, the softest shoulder to cry on, and the wisest counselor, who was always ready to listen, and who always had exactly the right advice. Her joy was contagious, and she was, quite reliably, the first person on the dance floor at every wedding and party. To her family, she was the embodiment of being safe, happy, and home, and her presence was a gift in and of itself. Words simply cannot convey Brenda's heart and selflessness, demonstrated in every moment as a life lived in the spirit of Christ. Brenda married William J. Hyland, Jr. on June 15, 1974 in North Palm Beach. Brenda and Bill celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 15, 2024. She is survived by her husband, Bill, her children, Jennifer (Mike) Meister and Bill (Amanda) Hyland; grandchildren Sean Meister, Alex Meister, Liam Hyland, and Mary Elise Hyland, brother Cebrone Atkins and his two children, Emily Atkins and Ben Atkins, her dear Uncle Don Profitt, special cousins Donna Moores, and Mark Griffin; and many additional cousins, nieces, and nephews. Family and friends are invited to the Howard-Quattlebaum Funeral Home, 754 US-1 in North Palm Beach from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM on December 1, 2024, to reminisce and honor the life of Brenda.