| | | Ornamental Garden owner dead at 49 | | November 23, 2009 |  | | | Voice Correspondent | | When friends describe Ornamental Garden owner Kim Brenegar, who died last month at age 49, it’s apparent that her life was deeply intertwined with the Capitol Hill community.
Family and friends estimate that between 300 and 500 people attended Brenegar’s Oct. 25 memorial service, held at Eastern Market. The size of the crowd — and the fact that even more were turned away – does not surprise anyone who knew Brenegar.
Gardens designed and cultivated by Brenegar dot the landscape of Capitol Hill, the neighborhood where she lived for 20 years and formed many professional and personal relationships. She launched her landscaping company, Ornamental Garden, in 1992.
Brenegar devoted much of her time to community service. Among the organizations that grabbed her attention were Sports on the Hill, the DC Central Kitchen, Theater Alliance and Plan USA. For an AIDS ride, she once cycled 400 miles between North Carolina and D.C.
Brenegar died Oct. 9 in a car accident in upstate New York. She was born on July 12, 1960, in Columbia, S.C. ºShe graduated magna cum laude with degrees in political science and urban planning from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va.
When she moved to Washington, she worked in management positions at restaurants and catering businesses throughout the area, including the Catering Company of Washington. An internship with the U.S. National Arboretum inspired her to change course and ultimately start her own landscaping company.
“Her signature look was whimsical. She used unusual plants and textures,” said long-time friend Joanne McInnis. She said it was normal to see
Brenegar pop out of her pickup truck to correct anything that had become amiss in one of her gardens.
McInnis also recalled Brenegar’s kindness. “She would pick up a worm if it were on the street” so it would not get squished, she said.
Brenegar is survived by her children Allison Anne Strodel and Julian David Strodel, her mother Jeanne Brenegar, her fiancé Joseph Ardizzone, her sister Juliet Brenegar Michaud and her brother Stewart Rich Brenegar. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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