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City of Bartlesville staff members mourn the loss of their own.

Below is a story as reported on by Bartlesville's City Beat written by Kelli Williams.

The first floor of City Hall is missing one of its brightest stars this week with the passing of Brenda Kiselak — the funny, kind and endlessly patient fiscal technician who occupied Window No. 4 in the Utility Billing Office for the past three years. Kiselak passed away on Dec. 27 following a battle with cancer.

"We are heart-broken over the loss of Brenda Kiselak," said City Manager Mike Bailey. "She worked her way into our hearts with her impeccable work ethic and infectious personality. She will be missed, both as a dedicated City employee and as our friend. Our hearts go out to her family at this difficult time."

"Brenda was the kind of employee that every supervisor wants," said Utility Billing Supervisor Tammy Hudgens. "She was very conscientious of her work and always made sure she did her best. She treated every customer the same, whether that customer was red-faced with anger, friendly or just needed some answers. With coworkers — and I use that term loosely, because with Brenda, you quickly became her friend — she was always encouraging and uplifting. She would cheer you on no matter what you were doing, even if it was something mischievous. Many times, I could hear her laugh all the way down the hall. Losing Brenda has been devastating to us, her work family, but we are blessed to have known her and to be able to carry on her memory to everyone who comes after, with all the 'tells' of her and her always-funny 'Brenda-isms.'"

"There really aren’t words to describe Brenda," said Lead Customer Service Technician Karla Fecht. "She was all the things — compassionate, hilarious, sassy, smart, encouraging, loyal — all things to all of us. She treated every customer the same. It didn’t matter if they lived in the nicest house in town or one that was not as nice — if they had plenty or nothing at all, although she was probably even more sympathetic to the ones who had nothing. She treated every customer with respect and genuine friendliness. From the day she started working here, she was just the best employee we could possibly have had — a real, genuine person who treated everyone with kindness and compassion. If the world was full of Brendas, it would be a much better place. I still don’t know what our world here looks like without her. I think we’re all still a bit numb. We’re heartbroken. She was not just our coworker and friend, she was our family. "

"Brenda was more than just an excellent employee, she was a close part of our work family," said City Clerk/CFO Jason Muninger. "She was kind, uplifting and funny, and we are going to miss her tremendously."

Kiselak is survived by her husband, John Kiselak Jr., their daughter, Sarah Kiselak-Warren and son-in-law Nicholas Warren, her mother Joan Brewer and father Louis McKenzie, two sisters and one brother, Kelly Thornton, Janie Thornton, and Tony Thornton, and her beloved dog — her “fur-baby” — Vinny.