Even though they regularly deal with grief and death at work, Provo's 911 dispatchers remain somber after a weekend traffic accident that killed one of their colleagues.
Denise Brenchley, 29, had been a Provo Police Department dispatcher since July 15, 1996.Co-workers described her as a conscientious friend and an excellent dispatcher who didn't get flustered even during stressful emergency calls.
"She was always so positive, so friendly," said Melissa Mullins, assistant communications supervisor for Provo police. "She was here because she really wanted to help people."
Brenchley had a contagious smile and a natural ability to cope with stress, said Mullins, who trained Brenchley as a new dispatcher. Mullins said Brenchley never had the personality conflicts with other dispatchers, which sometimes happens in a stressful environment.
"She had a really big heart," Mullins said. "She was always doing things for other people."
Brenchley and her sister, Tonya, 17, were killed Friday night in a crash on an icy U.S. 89 through Sardine Canyon near Logan. Also killed were Logan High School senior Carey S. Gunnell, 17, and 16-year-old Anna Lee Christensen. Four others were injured.
Douglas Brenchley, Denise and Tonya's father, is the choir director at Utah Valley State College's LDS institute and also directs choirs at the LDS Church's Missionary Training Center in Provo.
Douglas Brenchley's family is maintaining a watch at the bedside of two other children who were injured in the accident and are hospitalized at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. An obviously emotional father left a message on the family's telephone answering machine.
"I wanted to give you an update for those of you who might be calling about Kate and Ben," Douglas Brenchley said. "They are in stable condition up at LDS Hospital. The doctors have given them a good prognosis.
"We will desperately miss Denise and Tonya."
Kathryn Brenchley, 22, and Benjamin Brenchley, 14, were rear-seat passengers in a vehicle driven by Denise on their way to a family reunion in Preston, Idaho, Friday. Gunnell was driving his girlfriend and two classmates to dinner and a movie when their car slid out of control and collided head-on with the Brenchleys' vehicle.
Gunnell's cousin, Nick Stevens, 18, also was injured, and he was taken to LDS Hospital as well. Steve Archibald, 17, was treated for injuries and released Friday from Logan Regional Hospital.
Tonya Brenchley, a senior at Provo High School, had a role in the school's production of "Guys and Dolls" last year.
"She was a really good actress," said friend Becci Stuver. "She was a good friend, and she was always there if you needed her."
Neighbors and friends described the Brenchleys as a close, strong family. Their closeness and religious faith are helping the Brenchleys cope with the loss of two of their six children, neighbors said.
Gunnell's mother, Kristine Gunnell, tried to think of happier times.
"He collected people, attracted them to him. He loved being with his friends. He was a good kid with a big heart," his mother said.
Christensen, a junior, had been counting the days until a trip to Europe planned by her French class, said friend Keith Hale.
Dispatch supervisor Mullins said the atmosphere at the Provo Police Department was still somber Monday.
"There's still some tears," she said. "We miss her a lot."
Brenchley was recognized as dispatcher of the month several times during her time with Provo police. She was instrumental in saving the lives of others, colleagues said, and her own life seemed to have been spared after she recently overcame cancer.
"Just when you think she made it, she was taken away," Mullins said.