Brenda Capps Baker was born December 29,1948, in Monroe, Louisiana, to John Daniel and Lois Thompson Capps. She went home to be with the Lord on July 23, 2024, succumbing to the effects of Congestive Heart Failure.
Brenda is survived by her daughter Jodi Farrar Gaines and husband, Raymond;  grandchildren Michael Gaines of Shreveport and Mary Beth Picou and husband Cole of Houma; brother Johnnie Ray Capps and wife Lynda of Swartz; sister Linda Capps Rodwell of Moyock, NC; cousins Alicia Howell Moss and husband Dean and Rodney Howell of Charleston, SC; siblings Cynthia Perot Russo of Houston, TX, Donna Perot Kerchner of Groveton, TX, and Roger Dale Perot of CO; numerous nieces and nephews; and close friends Roslyn Peachie Robertson, Ed and Bennie Greer, Linda Auderer, Karen McGee, Mary Platt, and Hal Odom.
Brenda spent much of her childhood growing up in the Baptist Children's Home in Monroe, LA. "Little Brenda Kay Capps" was chosen to fly to New Orleans for the Baptist State Conference. She lived a short while in North Carolina (which explains her love for UNC basketball) in her early teens before returning to Swartz, LA. Brenda graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in1965.
After attending Northeast Louisiana State College in Monroe (now ULM), Brenda started working at Texas Eastern. She then moved into the law field in the 1970s. She worked for many years as a legal secretary (Ed Greer said she was the best legal secretary ever) at the firm of Johnson & Kennedy and then moved to Peatross, Greer & Frazier. In 2002 she moved to the Second Circuit Judicial Court of Appeals as an assistant to Judge Harmon Drew and just retired in February as an assistant to Judge Stephens.
Brenda loved her work but loved her family more. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends every chance she had, and she enjoyed traveling with her girlfriends. She never met a stranger and has many friends who, along with her surviving family members, mourn her passing.
Brenda was an avid runner and has several first-place finishes in local races. She was one of the first two women to join the downtown YMCA; she said the women's locker room was built for her after complaining about having to change in the bathroom.
She loved to go to the movies and was a member of the Robinson Film Center. She enjoyed participating in the LA Film Prize each year. She loved music and had an eclectic taste. You should see her album collection! She was always reading a good book too. But you may be surprised to know she really enjoyed F-1 racing. Brenda loved nice things and was a wonderful gift giver and always gave a beautiful (or hilarious) card.
The family would like to thank the staff at Heritage Manor Stratmore in Shreveport for their care and compassion when caring for Brenda.
A Memorial Service will be held Thursday, August 1, 2024, 5:00 at Midway Church of Christ – 3200 Bert Kouns, Shreveport, LA 71118. Please have flowers delivered after noon on 8/1/24 to the church. Or in lieu of flowers, as Brenda was a breast cancer survivor, we ask you to please donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Brenda's honor.