Obituary for Brehm Lee Neel
On May 31, 1956 Brehm Lee Gibson (aka Brehmie, Aunt Brehm, Brehmblebee and Brehm Lee Mouse) drew her first breath. She was loved by her parents, John Brehm Gibson and Bette June Sweet Gibson and her siblings, John Beebe Gibson II and Carol Ann Gibson. She grew up in Rochester, NY and at age 15 moved to St. Pete Beach, FL where she took her first job at Grant’s Diner. It was at this little diner that she unexpectedly met and fell in love with Tony Gerald Neel, a drummer in a rock band and an avid fisherman.
It wasn’t long before the two of them started a life together, raising children. In 1980, Brehm dedicated her life to Jesus and was baptized. She and her family joined Charisma Chapel and she founded Shiloh Dancers, a Christian dance ministry. It was here that she discovered her love of worship through dancing and teaching.
Although her life was full and she was surrounded by good friends and family, Florida “never felt like home” to her. Brehm always referred to her years in Florida as “doing time”. In 1992 the Neels sold their Florida home and moved to Franklin, NC on a wish and a prayer. Shorty after, they purchased Sugartown Coffee Shop and converted it into Cedar’s Café. Brehm was a whiz in the kitchen and could pull together a meal out of nothing. She was known for her ornately decorated Christmas sugar cookies (pumped out with the help of some child laborers) and her "Dream Chicken Salad" a recipe that came to her in a dream- who does that? Her creativity flourished! The business became a focal point for life where family and friends would gather daily, after hours, for homemade soup, a great latte’ and time together.
Brehm had a love for people and a giving heart, even when she herself was in need. She donated time to local charities and was a human rights activist. She stood up for what she believed in and worked tirelessly helping others. It was on more than one occasion that she picked her children up from school with some wayward person or pregnant teenager in the front seat of the car. She taught her children to love people as they are, just as Jesus did.
She was perpetually antsy to hop in the car in search of new places to explore. When road tripping her husband always drove slow, which suited her just fine, it made it easy to spot the yard sale signs. All she needed was enough money to fill up the gas and a cup of coffee and she was ready for adventure. You could invariably find her in a thrift store or at a church rummage sale. She was a hoarder of vintage fabric, brick-a-brack and clothing. Brehm was an artist, a crafter and a performer. She would spend hours in her sewing room creating aprons, tutus, costumes and the like. She had an affinity for set design and enjoyed being on stage. Brehm was a founding member of A Family of Friends Productions, promoting the performing arts in her community.
Brehm adored birds, gardening and the outdoors. She had a love for plants and would often load the van down with buckets, bins and shovels and whomever would help her. She would venture out to long abandoned homes and procure beautiful flowers and other specimens for transplant. She will always be remembered by her children and grandchildren pointing out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in the clear night sky and giving mini astronomy lessons. When saying goodbyes, she always held out the symbol for “I love you” instead of waiving. Heck, as a tot, Katie even sucked her fingers posed in that symbol.
A pinnacle moment in her life was when Brehm reunited with her first child, Jathan Nalls. She had searched and prayed for him his entire life. Her heart ached to see him again. There were many times when she thought she was close, but to no avail. Apparently, Jathan and his wife Diane had been searching too and were able to make contact in 2017. Brehm was beaming at the sight of her son, a long-awaited answer to her prayers.
She took her final breath on Saturday February 6, 2021 at 8:26 am. At that moment she stood before The Father and was reunited with Baby Grace and all her friends and family who had gone before her. When she passed from this world she lay in loving arms of her husband, Tony Neel, with a bumblebee crown upon her head. Her children: Cedar, Daniel, Benjamin, Caitlyn and Jathan were all close by and her dog, Teddy, at the foot of her bed. Her many friends and family as well as her grandchildren: Raya, Malachi, Kalyanne, Eva, Dahlia, Billy, Joshua, Trinity, Ethan and Josie, will miss her greatly and look forward to seeing her again.
A Life Celebration in Brehm’s honor will be held at Franklin Covenant Church on March 6th at 2pm.
It wasn’t long before the two of them started a life together, raising children. In 1980, Brehm dedicated her life to Jesus and was baptized. She and her family joined Charisma Chapel and she founded Shiloh Dancers, a Christian dance ministry. It was here that she discovered her love of worship through dancing and teaching.
Although her life was full and she was surrounded by good friends and family, Florida “never felt like home” to her. Brehm always referred to her years in Florida as “doing time”. In 1992 the Neels sold their Florida home and moved to Franklin, NC on a wish and a prayer. Shorty after, they purchased Sugartown Coffee Shop and converted it into Cedar’s Café. Brehm was a whiz in the kitchen and could pull together a meal out of nothing. She was known for her ornately decorated Christmas sugar cookies (pumped out with the help of some child laborers) and her "Dream Chicken Salad" a recipe that came to her in a dream- who does that? Her creativity flourished! The business became a focal point for life where family and friends would gather daily, after hours, for homemade soup, a great latte’ and time together.
Brehm had a love for people and a giving heart, even when she herself was in need. She donated time to local charities and was a human rights activist. She stood up for what she believed in and worked tirelessly helping others. It was on more than one occasion that she picked her children up from school with some wayward person or pregnant teenager in the front seat of the car. She taught her children to love people as they are, just as Jesus did.
She was perpetually antsy to hop in the car in search of new places to explore. When road tripping her husband always drove slow, which suited her just fine, it made it easy to spot the yard sale signs. All she needed was enough money to fill up the gas and a cup of coffee and she was ready for adventure. You could invariably find her in a thrift store or at a church rummage sale. She was a hoarder of vintage fabric, brick-a-brack and clothing. Brehm was an artist, a crafter and a performer. She would spend hours in her sewing room creating aprons, tutus, costumes and the like. She had an affinity for set design and enjoyed being on stage. Brehm was a founding member of A Family of Friends Productions, promoting the performing arts in her community.
Brehm adored birds, gardening and the outdoors. She had a love for plants and would often load the van down with buckets, bins and shovels and whomever would help her. She would venture out to long abandoned homes and procure beautiful flowers and other specimens for transplant. She will always be remembered by her children and grandchildren pointing out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in the clear night sky and giving mini astronomy lessons. When saying goodbyes, she always held out the symbol for “I love you” instead of waiving. Heck, as a tot, Katie even sucked her fingers posed in that symbol.
A pinnacle moment in her life was when Brehm reunited with her first child, Jathan Nalls. She had searched and prayed for him his entire life. Her heart ached to see him again. There were many times when she thought she was close, but to no avail. Apparently, Jathan and his wife Diane had been searching too and were able to make contact in 2017. Brehm was beaming at the sight of her son, a long-awaited answer to her prayers.
She took her final breath on Saturday February 6, 2021 at 8:26 am. At that moment she stood before The Father and was reunited with Baby Grace and all her friends and family who had gone before her. When she passed from this world she lay in loving arms of her husband, Tony Neel, with a bumblebee crown upon her head. Her children: Cedar, Daniel, Benjamin, Caitlyn and Jathan were all close by and her dog, Teddy, at the foot of her bed. Her many friends and family as well as her grandchildren: Raya, Malachi, Kalyanne, Eva, Dahlia, Billy, Joshua, Trinity, Ethan and Josie, will miss her greatly and look forward to seeing her again.
A Life Celebration in Brehm’s honor will be held at Franklin Covenant Church on March 6th at 2pm.