Submitted by: Dan Rich

Brigid Colleen Hann

Oct. 28, 1968 - May 12, 2002

South Bend Tribune 6/5/2002

On Mother's Day, 2002, at 9:20 a.m., Brigid Colleen Hann, 33, died suddenly of a cerebral aneurysm. Her mother, Mary Beth Wilson of South Bend, announces a memorial Mass to be held here in South Bend at Christ the King Church at Dixie and Darden on June 6, at 10 a.m. Brigid's funeral was in her hometown of Johnson City, TN, where she was surrounded by family and her fianc, Brent Hawkins, with coworkers at Siemens Industries whose sadness is as deep as our own. She'd been with Siemens 10 years and was a supervisor when she left.

Brigid was born in South Bend, IN, on October 28, 1968, to Mary Beth and Hugh Walker, as the youngest of five children. Her father, a Green Beret veteran of seven tours in Vietnam, preceded her in death on December 10, 1999. She was also preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Daniel H. Pedtke of Notre Dame on December 10, 1976; and a niece, Alyssa (5); and nephew, Jacob (2). She was attending college, carrying a 4.0 average. Her hobby was Bracket Drag Racing in her self-modified Opel. The youngest in a military family, Brigid never learned to do anything by halves. We know she's in heaven because we've already had experiences that are typical of events over which Brigid was in charge. Surviving family includes her brother, Kevin Walker, 39, with his wife, Heather, and son, Andrew of Salissaw, OK; his sister, Kathleen Walker, 38, of Philadelphia; her sister, Molly Laws, 36, with her husband, Billy, and daughters, Amanda and Jenny; and 4 stepchildren of Jonesborough, TN; her sister, Suzan Humphrey, 35, with her husband, Bonnie, and son, Kacy of Reston, VA. Those in South Bend surviving include her grandmother, Helen Pedtke; her mother, Mary Beth Wilson; and friend, Michael Hayden; and her aunt, Dorothy Pedtke.

Brigid's sudden death was totally unexpected and our consolation lies in the absence of suffering. She gave joy to everyone who knew her. She also focused on the best in people and gave us to believe in ourselves. She was patient, she was kind; she really listened and never betrayed. Brigid loved and was loved, and now, impossibly early, she's finished here. As in Tennessee, in lieu of flowers, people are asked to plant a tree for Brigid, or to send a contribution to the family to be given to her local organ donation facility, where she gave so much of herself.