Renae Byre, 55, Burlington, North Dakota, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in her home. Renae Lorrisa Brend was born on Oct. 15, 1966, in Tigerton to Martha (Palmer) Dahl and Curtis Brend. Renae grew up and attended school in Bowler. She went on receive her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and biology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and continued her education by receiving her master’s degree in counseling and college student personnel at Oklahoma State University.
She then worked at a few universities throughout the United States in the student service and development profession. In the summer of 1994, she came to North Dakota to spend time with her family, as she did most of her childhood summers. Instead of returning to her career at the university, she decided to take a risk and move to Maxbass, North Dakota. It was here that she met the love of her life and married Royal Byre.
In 1995, they started their family and, four years later, they moved to Burlington. As a child, Renae wanted nothing more to be a stay-at-home mom. When her youngest was born, the dream came true as she was able to be with her children full time until they were all in school.
After the children were in school, she started working at First District Health Unit. She initially worked to prevent and eliminate tobacco-related illness, despite it being political and controversial, and eventually became the director of health promotions. She was motivated to help people become free of tobacco and other addictions as she had seen firsthand the impact it had on her loved ones and the whole community.
Renae had a gift of meeting people where they were at in life, seeing the good in them and helping them to overcome addictions and making them feel valued. She had taken disability retirement in January 2019.
Renae was a very creative person. If she wasn’t painting or decorating, you would find her digging up her yard or creating a new garden. She loved junk. She had an eye for seeing a beautiful project in something broken down that others would toss away. Again, she could see the good in everyone and everything despite their brokenness and help them become something beautiful to be valued. Renae was blessed with many close intimate friends, her church family and work family.
She developed quite a following of friends on social media. Renae was very good at educating people on what the cancer was doing to her body, what the treatment was going to accomplish and how long she thought it would work. Many people drew inspiration from her posts, and she heard from many people that she had helped them through difficult times in their life with her sage advice, courage and faith. She long outlived any prognosis that the doctors would give her.
She was a tireless advocate for cancer research and equitable insurance coverage for cancer treatments. This brought her to testify at the North Dakota legislature for the Chemotherapy Fairness Bill and helped get it enacted into law. She promoted Women’s Way and helped with initiated measures and gathering signatures. She was an agent of change to make the world a better place.
Renae was baptized at her grandparent’s home in Mohall, North Dakota, by the Rev. Simonson of Zion Lutheran Church. She was confirmed at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Bowler. She became a Catholic in 2010, and she and her family were members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Foxholm.
She is survived by her husband, Royal; sons, Keegan Byre, Jonas Byre and Sterling Byre, all of Burlington; mother, Marcy (Ron) Dahl, Apache Junction, Arizona; father, Curt (Linda) Brend, Bowler; brother, Randy Brend of Newburg, North Dakota; sister, Char (Perry) Collier, Stinnett, Texas; sister-in-law, Belinda (Mark) Vollmer, Surrey, North Dakota; brothers-in-law, Archie Byre Jr., Maxbass, North Dakota, Everett (MiSuk) Byre, Lewisville, Texas, and Eric (Kim) Byre, Stephen, Minnesota; and godson, Landon Syverson, Wisconsin Rapids.
She was also blessed with an extended family, sisters, Valerie (Andrew) Bovre, DeForest, Danielle Warren, Green Bay, Bonnie (Tom) Weseli, Bloomington, Minnesota, Lisa (Adam) Moe, Brimfield, Illinois, and Ivy (Corey) Thorson, Minot, North Dakota. She is also survived by uncles, Leroy (Shirley) Brend, Bismarck, North Dakota, Rick (Paula) Brend, Plover, and Arlyss (Ora) Brend, Bismarck, North Dakota; aunts, Paula (John) Mundt, Westhope, North Dakota, Rita Palmer, Sydney, Montana, and Ursula Palmer, Orlando, Florida; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Archie and Arlene Byre; paternal grandparents, Ed and Caroline Brend; maternal grandparents, Clark and Lois Palmer; uncles, John Palmer and Chuck Palmer; step-brother, Scott Warren; and a cousin and godson, Ryan Palmer.
Mass of Christian Burial: Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Minot.
Interment: St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Foxholm, North Dakota, in spring 2022.
Visitation: Sunday from 6-7 p.m. at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Minot.
Vigil Prayer Service: Sunday at 7 p.m. at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Minot.
Memorials are preferred to metavivor.org or St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Foxholm. The service will be livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to the Thompson-Larson Funeral home website: www.thompsonlarson.com
Those wishing to sign the online register and share memories may access the online obituaries section at www.thompsonlarson.com.
Renae L. Byre
