Brenda Wislar
Brenda Katherine Kelley Wislar of Princeton, New Jersey, died on August 23, 2026. She loved putting her feet into the Atlantic, visiting family, and ordering desserts. She had wonderful memories of working summers as a college student on Cape Cod, hosting many Thanksgivings with her sisters, and visiting The Tyler Place in Vermont. She delighted in teaching her grandchildren how to split a cupcake horizontally, then flip the top section and rejoin the two parts to form a cupcake sandwich.
Brenda was predeceased by Edwin W. Wislar, her husband of over 30 years. Brenda was also predeceased by her parents Joseph B. Kelley and Helen M. Kelley.
Brenda is survived by her son Howard F. Powers Jr. (Alexandra), and their three sons Will, Eric (Maureen), and Peter; her daughter Jennifer Mitchell (Paul) and their two children, son Ned (India) and daughter Katherine; son Bradford (Dodie) and their three daughters Annabel, Eliza, and Lillian. Brenda is also survived by two sisters; Susan Carroll, her three children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and Jane Kelley and her two children.
Brenda grew up in Milton, MA. She attended many Red Sox games with her father, a sportswriter, but was closest to her mother, “Hunna.” Brenda often bragged about her two sisters and the three spoke often. Brenda met her first husband at a Harvard Business School mixer. In 1960, they wed and eventually settled in Princeton, where they raised their three children on Audubon Lane. After 20 years of marriage, they divorced. As a single mom in the early 1980s, Brenda did an amazing job when cultural norms were more Hawthorne and less “Modern Family.” After her divorce, Brenda went back to work and managed the Talbots on Nassau Street for many years. Always fashionably dressed, she loved much of that job, as it became an informal hub of summer jobs, holiday parties, and town gossip.
In the late 1980s, Brenda met Ed Wislar; they were married in 1989 and celebrated at The Bedens Brook Club. They welcomed all of their family to the house on Puritan Court. Before each felt the demands of age, they traveled the world together. Brenda enjoyed asking the hotel manager for a better room before she even checked in.
Brenda loved her three children and was ever thankful for her eight grandchildren. She was “Gram,” “Gagoo,” and finally “Gaga” — as each new cohort of grandchildren laid claim. Frequent visits were always lighthearted, but Brenda had opinions on how things should be and was not afraid to share. Regardless, the end of a visit was always summarized by her as “amazing.” Over the last few years as she slowed and the cursed dementia lingered uninvited a bit more each day, her children and, more importantly, her grandchildren, would visit with her and compliment her, tease her, sing and laugh with her, and share a meal with her. This was Brenda’s legacy.
Her entire family is most grateful to her devoted caregivers, Marcia and Grace, for their constant love and healing prayers of well over a decade. They were unwaveringly dedicated to Brenda, treating her with dignity and respect, as they took care of her daily needs and nursed her through restless nights.
A private memorial will be held later in the year. In lieu of flowers, contributions are welcomed at SmileTrain.org.