Viva Gallin Brenner, 88, of Dallas, died peacefully in the late afternoon Sept. 27, 2020, Erev Yom Kippur.
Viva was born Lois Betty Gallin, in 1931, to parents Rose and Meyer Gallin. They called her by her Hebrew name, Chaviva, which she legally changed in her teenage years. With her family, she moved from her birthplace of Indianapolis to Milwaukee, and eventually to Dallas, where she spent the rest of her life. It was in Dallas that she met Bob Brenner, whom she married in 1954, and where they raised their daughters Vicki, Shari and Mara.
Viva was raised in an observant Jewish home and her Judaism strongly informed her choices and actions. She kept a kosher home, enrolled all three girls in Akiba Academy and worked for several Jewish organizations in Dallas over the course of five decades. Her favorite job, by far, was coordinating b’nai mitzvah for her own congregation, Shearith Israel.
She was a life member of Hadassah.
She was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Bob Brenner, and is survived by her daughters Vicki Itzkowitz (Gene), Shari Brenner and Mara Brenner; grandchildren Jonathan Itzkowitz, Marny (Cody) Weaver, Nora Brenner-West and Cybele Brenner-West; and great-grandson Mordecai Weaver.
A private funeral was held on Sept. 30 at Shearith Israel Memorial Park on Dolphin Road. Honorary pallbearers included Gene Itzkowitz, Cody Weaver, Mickey Radoff, Perry Radoff, Mike Weber, John Shadduck, Bob Kaplan and Alex Rubenstein.
Donations can be made in honor of Viva Brenner’s life to Congregation Shearith Israel or Hadassah.
Viva’s daughters want to offer special thanks to all the staff at Fountain View Continuing Care who loved, respected and gave amazing care to their mother since May 2018.