Kim was born to Doris (Reding) and Barton McMaster on February 28, 1963. She grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa. As a wife, she faithfully loved and served her husband, Steve, for 39 years. As a mother, she raised her five children carefully in the fear and admonition of the Lord. As a grandmother, she rejoiced to see her grandchildren grow up around her.

Kim’s life was marked by hard work and adventure. She was a diligent student and committed athlete. Growing up, she and her dad joined RAGBRAI and bicycled across the state of Iowa 8 different summers. She participated in swim team throughout high school. One year she determined to run a mile daily, rain or shine. Kim and Steve knew each other growing up, and became friends while detasseling in the cornfields of Iowa. Their paths crossed again in graduate school at the University of Iowa and they were married in 1986. She worked briefly as a physical therapist before devoting herself to child-rearing and homemaking. Together Kim and Steve fixed up an old Iowa farmstead, grew organic soybeans, and home schooled their children. Their service in missions took them from Iowa to the mountains of Lhasa, Tibet, to various Asian countries, to Turkey and Palestine and to Australia, Japan and New Zealand. In 2007 they settled in northeast Ohio.

In 2008, Kim was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Despite her progressive disease, she never complained. In fact, Kim didn’t think of herself as disabled. She continued to selflessly serve her family, and she embraced her new assignment: to live for Christ regardless of her disease. She maintained an exemplary testimony of faith and trust in God as she navigated each new day, and she found God faithful as He gave her grace for every trial. Grandchildren brought a new wave of joy as she reveled in her role as a grandmother. She loved having her grandkids stand on her wheelchair foot platform to lay books on her lap to read.

Most importantly, Kim loved and served her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our grief is real, but equally real are the promises of Scripture that assure us that Kim is with Jesus. She trusted him by faith, believing that he died to pay the penalty for her sins, and because her sins were forgiven and she was given his righteousness, her faith has turned to sight and she has entered his presence in Heaven. Her desire would be that everyone reading this would come to know God’s love through faith. Her family will miss her dearly, but we are rejoicing that she is with Christ in a glorified body – free from pain and disease and praising the Lord Jesus for eternity!

Kim is survived by her husband Steve, her five children: (Nicholas, Brennan, Kaye, Natalie, Gunnar), six grandchildren, her mother Doris, her stepfather John Longnecker, stepmother Diann McMaster and sister Michelle Sands, her step-sisters Susan Ryan and Julie (Longnecker) Lehman, and her stepbrother Jack Longnecker. She was preceded in death by her father Bart McMaster.

A time of visitation is set for Tuesday, January 13th at 5:30 – 7:00 pm at Camden Baptist Church, Wellington, Ohio. A Memorial Service will be at Camden Baptist Church on Wednesday, January 14th at 1:00 pm.

Kim loved serving as a missionary. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift “In Memory of Kim Brennecke” to the Baptist Mid-Missions “Hasten to the Harvest 2026” Fund to help the next team of missionaries take the Gospel to those who wait to hear of God’s love. Gifts can be made online, by mail or by calling the Mission.

Online: https://www.bmm.org/give/giving-tuesday

Mail: Baptist Mid-Missions, PO Box 308011, Cleveland, OH 44130-8011

Tel: (440) 826-3930