![]() Please remember Max’s sense of humor, her raucous laugh, her radiant smile, and the way Max lit up a room with her booming voice. Many have relayed how their careers were boosted by her unstinting mentoring and the way Max welcomed all to each and every show. Max’s lasting professional legacy may be her reputation for excellence in her work and craft, and her talent and ingenuity. Max is survived by her wife of almost 41 years, Denise Dimin, her mother Elva “Skip” Brenner and her brother Mike Brenner, her aunts Lois Fabian and Arlene Egerdal, a multitude of cousins, her brother-in-law Richard Dimin and his wife Laura, her brother-in-law Doug Dimin and companion Jan Murphy, her nephew Geoffrey Dimin and his wife Stephanie and their daughters, Kyla and Marlee, and her niece Chelsea Dimin and her husband, Tim Barker, as well as a huge community of friends, coworkers, nature lovers, family, and generally, those who came in contact with her over the course of her life, be it in real life or online and on social media! She did everything the right way at the right time. ![]() A Leonardo Di Vinci-type, Max was interested in everything and always generous with her time and love. Retirement allowed Max lots of quality time with her Mom, and, of course, her daily walks with Tango in the Arroyo where she regaled birdwatchers and everyone else with her marvelous nature photos and stories. Like her father and grandfather, Max was a master builder and fixer and her new retirement chapter included building many COVID desks for children using lumber from her CBS studio lot dumpster-diving days. In retirement, Max continued to travel the world with her wife, and attended to Honey-Do lists and projects. Max was the inaugural Chief Lighting Technician (gaffer) for the award-winning daytime talk show, THE TALK, where she remained for nine years until she retired. Max absolutely loved what she did, traveling the world with top lighting designers, entertainers, producers, and crew members, working on cutting-edge shows in many different countries and exotic locations including Egypt, Trinidad, France, Switzerland, Cyprus, and Puerto Rico. When KGI disbanded, Max became a founding partner in Design Partners, Inc., an Emmy Award winning entertainment lighting design company for video, film, concerts, and live theatrical events. Max elevated her Los Angeles lighting career when she joined Imero Fiorentino Associates, Inc, which evolved into The Klages Group Inc. However, Max being Max, and never settling for anything, she was persistent in her dream and made her own breaks, lighting every project she could as a freelancer. She ended up in Los Angeles with $10 and a dream to make it in Show Biz and proceeded to deliver phone books. She refused to join the real world for a year and remained at ASU to teach.Īfter deciding that she had spent too much time in school, Max hopped in her van and took a tour of the country until she ran out of money. Max told her story (excerpted from her personal bio for her high school reunion) that after four (maybe five, per her Mom), years of college she left the cold of Duluth and took her nickname and BA to the blazing heat of Arizona State University at Tempe where she earned her Master of Arts degree in Technical Theater, although she liked to say she majored in sweeping. Even in those early years, Max was a friend to all and with the help of social media, reconnected with many from her high school and college days. From UMD, Max received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater. In doing so, Vicki left family, friends, but also her given name, which became “Max”, a Girl Scout nickname, necessary to avoid confusion in her dorm that housed four “coeds” named “Vicki”. She never lost her ability to tie a multitude of knots, the right one for every occasion.įollowing graduation from high school, Vicki left White Bear Lake for University of Minnesota Duluth. She was that busy! Vicki was raised with a love of the outdoors including hiking, canoeing, and camping, including winter camping in the snow! A lifelong Girl Scout, ultimately becoming a Camp Counselor, scouting was a very rewarding and formative part of her life. Her mother, Elva “Skip” Brenner recalls that Vicki used her allowance to pay late fees on her library books, because she simply never returned the books on time. She was always an adventurous child, a great student, and an avid reader. Vicki “Max” Brenner was born and raised in White Bear Lake, a suburb of St.
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