Tana Shea Brinke

RALEIGH - Tana Shea Brinke born in Sana Rosa, California on November 10, 1971 passed with family at her side and entered heaven’s gates on August 12, 2020. Tana is survived by her husband of 27 years Heath Brinke, daughter Ashley Brinke, sons Nicholas and Hayden Brinke, mother Patricia Rochelle, father Freddie Rochelle, and brother Lon Hopson. She is also survived by 3 grandchildren, Landon, Griffin and Teagen (due Oct. 2020). A consummate mother and respected teacher, Tana was a selfless soul who lived each day through her children both: those at home and in the classroom. After relocating to North Carolina from Alaska during the summer of 2000, Tana and her husband settled in the “Cleveland Area” where she taught 4th Grade for nearly 20 years. She touched so many young lives through her passion for learning. In remembrance of a daughter, wife, mother, sister, colleague, friend and teacher: • Daughter of a 28-year Air Force Veteran • Cruise Junkie who took annual trips with her Mother (BFF) • Graduate of the School of Education from the University of Alaska, Anchorage • Generation X who loved her 80’s music and movies (Def Leppard and The Warriors) • Soccer mom • Shopaholic, a true Black Friday fanatic • Avid sports fan who enjoyed attending and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Hurricanes • Reality TV watcher; Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol and Bachelor/Bachelorette were her favorites • Restauranteur, meaning she loved to go out to eat rather than cooking at home • Escape Room “Expert” • Vacationer extraordinaire: Hawaii. Greece, Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Caribbean, Bahamas, Disney, New York, Gatlinburg, Las Vegas and Snowshoe Mt. • She loved family vacations. • Teaming with her colleagues to make a difference in one student’s life, each year! Tana had a kind heart, a quick wit and will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. Over the past two years Tana was cared for by the heroes at Duke University Cancer Center where she was seeking treatment for Metastatic Melanoma. The family extends their greatest gratitude to everyone who cared for Tana for the 2+ wonderful years post diagnosis. Heath and the children are in the early stages of establishing “The Tana S. Brinke Future Educator Memorial Scholarship”. The scholarship will be awarded to a “Cleveland Area” High School student who aspires to become a Teacher. The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers to “The Tana S. Brinke Future Educator Memorial Scholarship”. An initial GoFundMe page has been established until such time that the family can establish the not-for-profit organization which will oversee the Scholarship program. Donations can be made here: https://tinyurl.com/TSBFEMS or you can contribute later directly to the foundation once established. For anyone needing to wait until the foundation is in place, please email your contact information to tana.s.brinkefems@gmail.com and a family member or trustee will contact you. The family will receive family & friends on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, beginning at 3:00 PM at Bryan-Lee Funeral home at 1200 Benson Rd. Garner, NC. With services honoring her life beginning at 4:00 PM followed by a celebratory life gathering at the Brinke residence (407 Competition Rd Raleigh, NC) in the backyard overlooking her most special flower garden. In memory of Tana’s fun-loving nature, participants are asked to wear bright vibrant colors to the service as Tana thought “traditional wear” never made sense for a celebration of life. For those who cannot attend in person or are understandably concerned with COVID-19, a live stream of the service will be made available. Please send an email to hbrinke@hotmail.com for links to the days event. “Whoever Loved that Loved Not At First Sight” ~William Shakespeare Family ask that no party record the service! ________________________________________________________________________________ Microsoft Teams meeting Join on your computer or mobile app (You may need to copy and paste the below url into your browser) Click here to join the meeting or go to tinyurl.com/tsbrinke Or call in (audio only) +1 323-849-4874,,532253809# United States, Los Angeles (866) 679-9995,,532253809# (Toll-free) Phone Conference ID: 532 253 809#