Brenda (Spies) Franks

Brenda (Spies) Franks passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on June 24, 2025, after a courageous battle.

Brenda was born on August 3, 1957, in Chambéry, France, to Don and Muriel Spies and is the eldest of four daughters.

In 1965, Brenda and her family moved to Caldwell, Idaho, and then settled in Mountain Home in 1968.

In January of 1974, she welcomed her first daughter, Heidi, and just over a year later, she proudly graduated from Mountain Home High School in May 1975, an early example of her perseverance and commitment.

Her adult life took her to Twin Falls, where she lived from 1975 to 1978 and welcomed her second daughter, Jodi. She later moved to Hailey. Life brought her back home to Mountain Home in 1981 where she reconnected and married the love of her life, Stan Franks, on March 19, 1983.

Over the years, Brenda worked at the Red Steer, Kmart, cooked in the kitchen at the Non-Commissioned Officers’ Club, the deli at Paul’s Market, and greeted weary travelers at the Best Western front desk with her signature warmth. She loved to share the stories from her tenure cooking at the Mountain Home Golf Course cafe.

In 1993, Brenda began a new chapter with Global Travel, where her natural talent and passion for service eventually led her to open her own business, Brenda’s Travel. She officially retired in 2022, after nearly 30 years in the travel industry.

Brenda was honored in 2016 as Woman of the Year by the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, a reflection of her tireless service to her community. Retirement gave her even more time to give back and do the things she loved. She volunteered regularly at the local food banks, worked year-round collecting items for the Holiday Giving Tree, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 26 (especially during Bunco nights and emergency blanket packets), and bingo nights at the Elks Lodge. She was also a beloved pillar at the local Farmer’s Market, coordinating spaces and sharing her handmade crafts.

In her free time, Brenda loved to crochet, quilt, and drill glass to create beautiful solar lights and hummingbird feeders. One passion that Brenda followed since junior high was bowling. Brenda loved playing card games, spending time in Featherville, and her most recent travel adventure, a Route 66 road trip, was filled with joy and new memories. With all of the adventures that Brenda enjoyed, the one that was a constant was time with her family, going to games, activities, or just having family hang out with her.

Brenda is survived by her loving husband of 42 years, Stan; her daughters, Heidi Wetherell (Matt) and Jodi Jewett (Travis); seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sister, Sonya Turner; numerous nephews and nieces, and many beloved cousins across the United States and Scotland.

Brenda is preceded in death by her parents, Don and Muriel Spies, and sister Rhonda.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 PM. July 1, 2025, at the Calvary Chapel, followed by a luncheon at the American Legion Post 26 Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent in her name to the Mountain Home Giving Tree at 205 North 3rd East, Mountain Home, Idaho, 83647.