Brittany Victoria Anderson

On Nov. 29, 2013, after an eight-year battle with type 1 diabetes, Brittany Victoria Anderson fell into a diabetic coma and passed away in her Sonoma home.

She is survived by her beloved parents, Sherry and William Anderson; her siblings, Rochelle Anderson Clem, Hank Anderson; and her half-siblings, Claire Chilcott and Alan Pooley.

Brittany loved her family more than anything on this earth. She will be dearly missed by her maternal grandparents, John and Leatha Murphy, and her paternal grandmother, Marion Wolsey.

Brittany had a large extended family and was very close to each one of her aunts and uncles, including Johnn Murphy and Jannice Murphy, Shelby Radovich, Jeff Murphy, Kyle Bowman, Jeannie Anderson, Tracey and Gary Middleton, and Cliff and Wendy Pooley. She recently had the time of her life visiting her uncles, Jeff, Kyle and Johnn, in New Orleans.

She is also survived by many cousins, including Zakk Murphy, of Sonoma. Brittany was also very proud to be an aunt and was so happy when her nephews, Cullen and Jackson Clem, were born. She visited her sister, Rochelle, in Florida last year and was simply overjoyed to be an auntie.

She was preceded in death by her biological father, Alan Pooley; and her paternal grandparents, Dr. George and Elizabeth Anderson; and Marion and Wal Wolsey.

Brittany led a full and exciting life. She loved to be the center of attention, and she usually was. As a child, she was a cheerleader for Sonoma Pop Warner Football, and the vice president of the fifth-grade class at Sassarini Elementary School. She was always popular amongst her peers and involved in many extracurricular activities throughout middle and high school.

She graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2004, where she was an athlete and captain of the varsity volleyball team. She was also nominated for homecoming queen, which wasn’t surprising; as everyone loved her and she was a friend to anyone she met.

After she graduated high school, she attended Santa Rosa Junior College. She worked as an executive assistant at the corporate offices for Nelson Staffing in Sonoma until the company underwent downsizing in 2012. She was most recently employed at El Dorado Kitchen and had taken an interest in event planning. She helped to plan many parties and other events throughout Sonoma Valley in the past several years.

Brittany was a Sonoma native and loved her community. She raised money and donated time for several local organizations and was the assistant varsity volleyball coach at Sonoma Valley High School for the past several years. Because of her involvement in the community, she was asked the join the board of directors for the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance in 2012, an accomplishment she was very proud of and a cause she felt passionately about.

Brittany loved live music and had so much fun watching her brother Hank, her father Andy, her Uncle Bon Bon, and her cousin Zakk, play at venues all over the Bay Area. She was also an avid sports fan and loved the San Francisco 49ers and the Giants, especially pitcher Tim Lincecum.

She had a fantastic sense of humor and a dry wit. She was the best friend you could ever ask for and fiercely loyal. She will be deeply missed by her two best friends, Billie Briones and Laurel Moeslein.

While she left us far too soon, her tremendous spirit has given us beautiful memories for a lifetime. She was truly special and will be missed by everyone who knew her.

A celebration of life service for Brittany Anderson will be held at St. Leo’s Catholic Church at 601 W. Agua Caliente Road in Sonoma, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, at 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, a donation account has been created to support Brittany’s memory and diabetes research. The account can be accessed online at the address: gofundme.com/5jg074.

Those wanting to give her in memory are also encouraged to consider Pets Lifeline in Sonoma.