Beatrice Elizabeth Ogren Kolander Brundrett was born as the snow fell in Bridgeport, CT on January 23, 1929.  At the time of her birth, the delivering doctor proclaimed that Bea was a new little snowflake for her parents Gustav A (Gus) Ogren and Hildegard Andersson Ogren.

Bea grew up in the family home built at the end of the 1800s by her paternal grandparents.  Although she was an only child, Bea was constantly surrounded by her extended family.  Two of her aunts lived on the first floor of the home and, later in her life, her two cousins Bob and Don Caterson (whom she cherished as brothers) came to live in the house as well. From helping out at the shop in the garage of the home to climbing the enormous cherry tree in the back yard, memories from growing up in the home were an integral part of Bea's DNA.

Bea attended Bassick High School in Bridgeport and went on to graduate from the nursing school at Bridgeport Hospital.  As a RN, Bea took great pride in caring for those under her charge.  Whether working in Labor & Delivery at the Catholic Hospital in Stillwater, Oklahoma, being the store nurse at Titche-Goettinger in downtown Dallas, Texas, or having the honor of being chosen to be part of the nursing team for the newly formed Cardiac Care Unit at Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff, Bea brought a sense of deep professionalism to her job.  Even after she retired, she remained a nurse-at-heart: checking the blood pressure of neighbors and friends, being a set of expert ears when accompanying someone to a doctors appointment, and helping them understand their diagnosis and medications.

In 1949, fate brought Henry (Hank) Kolander into Bea's life.  After meeting at the wedding of mutual friends (Bea was the Maid of Honor and Hank the Best Man) and following a whirlwind romance, they married in January of 1950.  Bea moved from Bridgeport to Stillwater where Hank was finishing his engineering degree at what is now Oklahoma State University.  After college, Bea and Hank moved to Dallas - one of the many moves they would make during Hank's career.  Shortly after arriving in Dallas, they met Joe and Doris Starnes and began a lifelong friendship.  Doris and Bea quickly became like sisters and maintained their closeness the rest of Bea's life.

After Hank died in 1973, mutual friends introduced Bea to Frank Brundrett.  When they wed in 1974, Bea's immediate family grew from having two children from her marriage to Hank (Doug and Beth) to adding Frank's four adult children as well (Carolyn, Jack, Janice, and Tommy).  Bea and Frank eventually retired to Cedar Creek Lake where they lived until Frank died in 2009.  Bea continued to live in the house they built together until she moved to Virginia in 2015.

Bea always loved to be active and enjoyed many different activities.  As a child she skated (roller and ice), biked all over Bridgeport and beyond with her friends, and swam during the summer at Seaside Park.  As a teenager she acted in school productions, danced to Big Bands (sometimes without the knowledge of her parents), and went to the Cotton Club in NYC to listen to Cab Calloway.  During her adult years, Bea developed a love for water skiing, playing golf, square dancing, playing bridge, and visiting interesting places with the "Go-Go Girls" - her group of friends who would "go here and go there."  Bea enjoyed traveling all over the world: her mother's home country of Sweden, England, the Caribbean, Alaska, parts of Asia, Australia & New Zealand, and too many states count.  During her travels she would inevitably make new friends and maintain those connections over the years.  It was always amazing to see how many places around the world she would receive Christmas cards from as her former schoolmates, neighbors, work colleagues, church buddies, and friends reached out to her.

One of the most important parts of Bea's life was her faith and involvement in church.  Starting from the time she was baptized, Bea was always involved in church: attending Sunday School, confirmation at 13, Youth Group, being a part of countless study and women's groups, helping cook and serve meals, serving on committees, and volunteering in the local community.  No matter where she lived, Bea immediately joined and jumped into the life of the church including Wesley United Methodist Church, Elmwood United Methodist Church, and Cedar Creek Lake United Methodist Church.

Although her memory faded over the last few years, Bea loved to talk about the things she held most dear:  her family and friends.  She passed in the early morning hours of December 16, 2020 ending her life the way it began: surrounded by people she loved and with snow in the air.