Brenda Hyde | Sept. 29, 1956 - Oct. 11, 2021 'The heart and soul of the square'

The town of Granbury is mourning the loss of yet another beloved member of the community with the recent passing of Brenda Hyde, the former events coordinator of the Historic Granbury Merchants Association (HGMA). She passed away on Oct. 11 at the age of 65.

AMBASSADOR OF GRANBURY

For years, Hyde was in charge of putting together various community events like the annual Christmas parade, Gen. Granbury’s Birthday Bash and the Candlelight Tour.

Diane Hedges, former vice president of HGMA, described Hyde as the “face of HGMA.”

“I think Brenda is very responsible for all the success of the events we had and she made it look effortless,” she said. “There’s a lot of details and moving parts. She grew the events over time. She would even go to outside events and try to convince them to come to events in Granbury.”

“She loved to party,” said Scott Young, a former HGMA president. “Every event in her eyes was a party, and she made big plans. She was very detail-oriented and everything she did turned out beautifully.”

FASHION ICON

Hyde’s bubbly personality combined with her unique fashion sense enabled her to stand out in a crowd.

“Brenda was known for her bling,” Young said. “She loved blingy flashy fashions and jewelry, you know, big, big sunglasses.”

“She always had her makeup on, her hair done, and she was dressed to the nines even if she was going out to mow the lawn,” Hedges said, with a chuckle. “If she didn’t have her makeup on, something was wrong. She had a flair for sparkle and glitter. She was a trendsetter in that area.”

Hyde was also known for wearing cowgirl hats and ball caps with rhinestones.

"In her house she had a closet the size of most women's bedroom filled with her clothes,” Hedges said. “She would invite people to come and shop in her closet.”

SOUTHERN GYPSY

Before she was the events coordinator at HGMA, Hyde had her own store on the square called Southern Gypsy.

“It was a store like Brenda,” Young said. “You know, beautiful things, jewelry and clothing.”

CHARMING, FRIENDLY

Much of HGMA’s success over the years is credited to Hyde, as she felt a special responsibility to the organization, according to Young and Hedges.

“She was such a wonderful person, always friendly with everybody. I can’t think of a person who didn’t like her,” Hedges said. “When we were in the middle of an event, and we had all these vendors out there, they would get upset, but she calmed them right down. She knew how to talk to people. She had a calming effect on people. If Brenda was there, you didn’t have to worry about it.”

“She had a really charming way with people,” Young said. “If there was ever a problem, she was on top of that. She was so friendly, and she wanted to make it right and she always did. At least 50% of our vendors during that time were repeat vendors. In other words, they came to every one of our shows, and I would say the main cause of that was because of Brenda and the way she treated people and the vendors when they were here. She wanted Granbury to thrive.”

GENEROUS HEART

Hyde worked diligently to make HGMA and the town of Granbury successful, as well as volunteering at various organizations to give back to the local community.

“She volunteered a lot on her own, not just through our organization,” Young said. “She served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club in Granbury and was president of that board for some period of time. She also served on the board of directors in the Granbury Chamber of Commerce for a couple of years.”

SOUL MATES

Hyde and her husband, Sammy, took many trips together — often with Sammy driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Hyde following in her Cadillac. They had a tradition of attending the State Fair of Texas on opening day each year.

“Whenever I see them advertise the State Fair, I will automatically think of her. In fact, we had to give her the day off from HGMA because she was gonna go no matter what,” Hedges said, laughing. “She and her husband Sammy were the cutest couple ever. They loved each other passionately and you could see that.”

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

Young described Brenda as the “heart and soul of the square.”

“She had a beautiful life,” he noted. “She was a wonderful person, and everybody loved her. She was a very special person.”

“She was that bright ray of sunshine,” Hedges added. “She's going to be sorely missed — not just in Granbury but the world — because once you became her friend, you were always her friend. We will always remember Brenda.”

MEMORIAL PLANS

A celebration of life is planned for sometime in November. Details will be announced at a later date, according to Young.