Brenda Whittington, 69, affectionately known as “Babe”, was born October 20, 1955, and raised on Pine Street in Dillon, South Carolina. She was the sixth child of the late Frank O’Dell and Nancy Whittington. With a radiant personality and generous heart, Brenda touched the lives of all who knew her.
At the age of seventeen, Brenda accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized by Elder Floyd at the Highway Pentecostal Church of Christ in Dillon South Carolina. Her faith remained the cornerstone of her life.
A proud graduate of Dillon High School, Class of 1975. Brenda later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she worked in various roles before retiring in 2007 as a Patient Care Coordinator at John Hopkins Hospital. In 2008, she returned to North Carolina to be closer to her family. She cherished time spent with loved ones, enjoyed traveling, dancing, visiting the beach, and embraced life with joy. She was previously married to the late Lee Grant Cain of Dillon, South Carolina.
Brenda’s commitment to her faith was unwavering. She was an active member of River of Light Church in Maryland until 2012, after which she joined Church without Borders in Fairmont, North Carolina, under the leadership of Apostle Frances Ann Holden. She served faithfully as an usher, a spiritual advisor, and a choir member; always willing to contribute to ministry in any way she could. Brenda also became the voice of F & J Catering Service in Fairmont, North Carolina, embodying her belief that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Her kindness and generosity knew no bounds, and she genuinely loved her family, friends, and church community.
On March 19, 2025 surrounded by her loving family, Brenda gained her heavenly wings at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Hospital.
She is survived by her beloved son, George Washington Ellison, III, Phoenix, Arizona and her goddaughter, Monique Rose, Baltimore, Maryland. She leaves behind her four cherished grandchildren: Cierra Ellison of Ellenwood, Georgia; Zaire Ellison of McDonough, Georgia; King Ellison of Phoenix, Arizona; and Khloe Ellison of Phoenix, Arizona. She is also survived by seven devoted sisters: Mary Eliza Anderson, Lou Ella Whittington, Nancy Johnson, Linda Smith (Donnie), Frances Ann Holden, Shelia Denise Whittington, and Eutha Mae Carlyle. Five loving brothers: Jester McCoy, James Arthur Whittington (Brenda), Joe Nathan Whittington, Wallace Lee Whittington (Teresa), and Irwin Leon Whittington (Deborah), and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her brother, Frank O’Dell.
Brenda’s life, though i may have seemed too brief to some, was filled with purpose and faith. She often found comfort in her favorite phrase: “If God doesn’t heal me on this side, He will heal me on the other side.”
Her legacy of love, faith, and generosity will live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM, Saturday, March 29, 2025 in the Kannaday Funeral home Chapel in Dillon with interment in Greenlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2:00 to 6:00 PM Friday, March 28, 2025 at Kannaday Funeral Home in Dillon.
You may sign the online guestbook at www.kannadayfuneralhome.com.
