Obituary of Brynn K. Padrick

Brynn Knable Padrick, 66, of New Lebanon, NY, died on June 17, 2022 at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA after a brief illness, surrounded by her husband and three children.

She was born September 20, 1955 in Baltimore, MD, the first child of Helen and Emanuel Knable. She was the sister of Stacie Knable-Crook (Rob) of Orange County, CA and Chet Knable (Allyson) of Marlton, NJ, and the wife of Donald Padrick for 40 years.

Brynn attended Baltimore’s public schools before starting college at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She then transferred to Gordon College in Massachusetts, earning a bachelor’s degree in theology.

A beloved teaching assistant to children in the New Lebanon Central School District for nearly 25 years, Brynn guided students not only in their academic studies, but also in life skills—like relating well and facing challenges—that would serve them and others as they matured. Her kindness and sense of humor imparted a motherly influence on her elementary school students. She taught them about cultures of the world in the school’s “Culture Club” and tried to emphasize the importance of physical well-being with the “Walk for Health.”

Brynn was a gentle yet brave soul committed to her Jewish-Christian faith, with a deep, abiding desire to reach others. As a teen, she tutored underprivileged youths, and volunteered to help psychiatric patients housed at Baltimore’s now infamous Rosewood Center, which the State of Maryland would later shut down after years of reported incidents of abuse and neglect. Most Baltimoreans would barely approach the eerie property, much less enter it. She was also devastatingly intelligent with an often steely resolve, at times demanding (of herself, more than anyone). Her family and best friends knew that debating with her was probably not the best way to enjoy their time together—especially if they cared anything at all about winning.

From an early age, Brynn had a love and talent for the arts: ballet classes to oil painting, “living” in libraries and bookstores, visiting museums with her beloved Aunt Jenny, and listening to her favorite folk music. As a mom, her passions broadened to include gardening (featuring Roses of Sharon and blue hydrangeas), cooking up a creative storm in her kitchen, and even the centuries-old craft of weaving. Never one to pursue an interest half-heartedly, Brynn mastered the enormous wood loom that took up much of the Padrick family’s den. And for many summers at the Berkshires’ historic Hancock Shaker Village, she shared her gift with tourists who came to watch. Eventually, she took her weaving one ambitious step further, creating a children’s book—Follow the Threads—that cleverly wove her craft with the Scriptures, specifically teaching kids how to follow the strands of Old Testament prophecy to find Messiah.

Besides her children, she was a mother to two sheep (Benjamin and Samuel), until they decided she was the best family member to head-butt. But they were loved, and regularly shorn for their wool, for weaving purposes, of course. Brynn especially loved being at the ocean and—her favorite—Maryland crabs.

Brynn leaves behind husband Donald; children Rebecca, David, and Daniel; daughter-in-law Kim and grandson Lev Isaac (David’s wife and son).

A wake will be held Monday, June 20 from 4 pm to 7 pm, at the Thomas P. Mooney Funeral Home at 11 Elm Street, Nassau, NY. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, June 21 at 5 pm, at the Church of Our Saviour at 14660 Route 22, New Lebanon, NY. A private burial will follow.

The family will be sitting shiva (prayers and visitation) on Wednesday, June 22 from 11 am to 6 pm, at 14740 Route 22, Lebanon Springs, NY.

If desired, memorial donations can be made to either https://www.childrensdefense.org/ or https://www.preventcancer.org.