Brenda Lei Nelson Wassberg was born August 8, 1957 in Jamestown, North Dakota, to parents Ruby (Dalbol) and Gaylord Nelson. On Saturday, March 12, 2022, she died unexpectedly while visiting cousins in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is survived by her husband Stephen Wassberg, daughters Sarah (Chad) Wassberg Johnson, and Rachel (Sam) Frisell, parents Ruby and Gaylord Nelson, siblings Joe (Phyllis) Nelson, Galon (Judi) Nelson, and Kara (Dan) Feist, and many nieces and nephews.