Brenda Noelle Brown Ziegler

Brenda Brown Ziegler, 81, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2026, in Baton Rouge.

Born on January 17, 1945, in Washington, D.C., she was the beloved daughter of the late William Jesse Brown III and Myra Hopper Brown. Brenda lived a life beautifully defined by an unwavering love for her family and a quiet strength that anchored everyone around her. She was a devoted wife to her husband, William R. Ziegler Jr., with whom she shared 60 wonderful years of marriage, love, and partnership.

A woman of remarkable talent and dedication, Brenda shared her extraordinary artistic gift by creating delicate porcelain dolls, utilizing French painting techniques and European fabrics to beautifully replicate historical dolls from the 18th Century. She also took immense pride in working alongside her family, lending her time, creative ideas, and gentle wisdom to help shape and support the family businesses from the ground up. Brenda’s legacy of grace, devotion, and gentle resilience will live on in the hearts of those she loved so deeply.

She is survived by her loving children: Myra Gonzales and her husband, LeRoy Gonzales Jr.; Azelie Shelby and her husband, David Shelby II; and William R. Ziegler III and his wife, Amanda Ziegler.

She was a dear sister to her surviving siblings: Sandra Morris and her husband, George; Deidra Watson and her husband, Eric; Ronny Brown and his wife, Lisa; and Darby Brown and his wife, Vivian.

She was the proud grandmother of Ashlea Bergeron, Meagan Thibodeaux, Jessica Shelby, Jack Shelby, and Keegan Arthur; and the adored great-grandmother of Callum Thibodeaux, Adeline Bihm, Pierce Arthur, and Paislee Arthur.

Brenda was preceded in death by her parents, William Jesse Brown III and Myra Hopper Brown; her sister, Myra Regina Brown; and her brother, William Jesse Brown IV.