Jane Segrest Brenner, age 90, of Punta Gorda, Florida, died on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at her Punta Gorda residence.
Jane was born on Monday, August 18, 1930 in Tuskegee, Alabama to the late Doris (nee-Spradley) and Benjamin Howell Segrest.  Raised in Baton Rouge Louisiana, Mrs. Brenner attended Louisiana State University.  In 1951, she married Chemical Engineer and Patent Attorney Edward John Brenner originally from Wisconsin, who was employed at Esso in Baton Rouge, LA.  Mr. Brenner transferred to Esso (later Exxon) Research and Engineering in New Jersey, where the family lived in Westfield, NJ.  When President Lyndon Johnson appointed Mr. Brenner to be the United States Commissioner of Patents in early 1964, the family relocated to the Washington, D.C. area.  Then in 1981 they relocated to Punta Gorda, FL.
Mrs. Brenner was active in the local community, having been involved in starting the local Domestic Violence Center (C.A.R.E.) and having served on the Boards of Directors of the local Mental Health Center and the Visual Arts Center Endowment Trust.  She also served on the Punta Gorda City Council as well as Punta Gorda Vice-Mayor for one year and participated in Republican Party activities.
She was an avid and long-time genealogist and worked very hard to keep the Old Court House of Punta Gorda from being torn down.  She was very proud that it became a beautiful centerpiece of the downtown area.  She was a member of the Charlotte County Historical Advisory Committee.  Mrs. Brenner was a past member of the Isles Yacht Club, the Burnt Store Country Club, the Visual Arts Center and the Board of Directors of the Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens.
Jane is survived by her children, Beverly, Douglas, and Mary Brenner; son-in-law Mike Houser; grandchildren Joe, Drew, Matthew, Andrea and Mick; great-grandchildren Taylor and Colin. In addition to her parents Doris and Benjamin, Jane was also preceded in death by her husband Edward John Brenner, and a daughter, Carolyn Houser.
A memorial gathering for Jane will be held at 11 a.m. this coming Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Roberson Funeral Homes Chapel at 215 Mary Street in Punta Gorda.
In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to the Edward J. Brenner Engineering Scholarship Fund, attention of the FGCU Foundation at Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565.
Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Homes & Crematory, Punta Gorda Chapel.