Brenda Hanson Martino, age 18, a lifelong resident of Winchester, Massachusetts, passed away suddenly on November 2, 2022, after a long struggle with mental health. Born in Cambridge, Brenda was raised and educated in Winchester, and was a graduate of Winchester High School (WHS) with the class of 2022. Brenda was a freshman at Simmons University in Boston, in an ambitious four-year undergraduate/master’s program, majoring in social work, for which she received a Presidential Scholarship.
Brenda was a beautiful, wonderful, hilarious, kind, thoughtful, hardworking, and amazing member of our community, and her sarcasm and wit had no bounds. She was very candid about her battles with mental health and did an excellent job of destigmatizing that publicly and encouraging people to ask for help.
Brenda sang beautifully in chorus, both at WHS and at Simmons. She enjoyed her time playing soccer and basketball. She made varsity on the cross-country team during her freshman year at WHS and also excelled academically.
Brenda was an active member of the Winchester Unitarian Society Youth Group (WUSYG). In addition to the revelry of the WUSYG service trips, they solidified her commitment to social work and environmental justice.
Brenda adored animals, and even interned for a time at Winchester Veterinary Group. Her beloved pets Lucy, Theo, Phoebe, Rosemary, Delilah, Sea, Sunny, Snowy, Holley, Penny, Jasper and Oliver were there for her throughout her life, as were Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls, The Office, The Princess Diaries, and American Idol. She was an expert Bananagrams and Rack-O player and enjoyed board and card games. She also played piano and was an exceptional artist.
Brenda is mourned by her circle of best friends, lovingly referred to as CHILB (acronym for the first letter of each of their first names): Colette, Hope, Isabelle, and Lucy, all of Winchester and fellow graduates of the WHS Class of 2022. The CHILB families are part of her extended family, as are too many friends to name. She loved you all dearly.
She is lovingly survived by her parents, Ginger Jo Hanson of Winchester, and Anderson Louis Martino and his wife Michelle Claire Martino of Stoneham. She was the dear sister of Fiona Hanson Martino of Winchester, and Luke Robert Martino and Jake Paul Martino, both of Stoneham. She also leaves behind her loving grandparents, Robert Martino of Florida, Suzanne Cross of San Francisco, Catherine Hanson of New York, and Claire Rioux of Nashua. Her extended family includes many adored cousins, aunts, and uncles.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Winchester Unitarian Society, 478 Main Street, Winchester on Sunday, November 13th at 2:00pm. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. There will be a reception with refreshements there afterward.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brenda’s memory may be made to the Winchester Unitarian Society Youth Group - be sure to include "Brenda Martino" in the memo or note: https://www.winchesteruu.org/giving/