Obituaries
Ana Isabel Vargas Brenden, 87, of Scobey, Mont., passed away on Aug. 21, 2026, surrounded by her family.
She was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1939. Twenty years later, Ana was an accountant at a tourist company when a chance encounter changed the course of her life. Tom Brenden of Scobey, Mont., spotted Ana through a window at her work. She was wearing yellow, he gave her a wink, and she waved and smiled back. This sparked a long-distance courtship and the beginning of a lifelong relationship in which love overcame the language barrier.
Ana came to Scobey and learned English with the help of special friends and relatives during her first few years in America. She and Thomas Allen Brenden Jr. were married on Nov. 15, 1959, on a stormy day at Scobey Lutheran Church.
Ana was a quick learner, an exceptionally hard worker and a woman who embraced her new home and family. She quickly learned the ways of her Norwegian- influenced family and built a full and busy life alongside Tom. During their 51 years of marriage, they owned and operated a farm, a cowcalf operation and feedlot.
Ana’s family was the most important part of her life. She and Tom had three daughters, Connie, Mary and Tammy, whom they raised on the family farm south of Madoc, next to Tom’s parents, Thomas Sr. and Agnes Brenden. Before Mary was born, Ana’s mother, Marta Vargas, came from Costa Rica to help Ana with her young and growing family.
Over the years, Ana became deeply involved in the Scobey community. She worked at Rasmus Nelson, MKL Fashions and Service Drug and was a member of Scobey Lutheran Church, WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics), Woman’s Club, the Daniels County Republican Party and the Hospital Auxiliary. She also served on the boards
Ana Brenden
