Dr. Brianne K. Waychoff

Dr. Brianne K. Waychoff

New York City, N.Y.

Dr. Brianne K. Waychoff, born July 5, 1979, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on July 25, 2022, in New York City of 9/11 related kidney cancer after being diagnosed in 2021. She was 43 years old.

A celebration of Brianne’s extraordinary life will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at The National Czech & Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Food and drinks will be provided. Please come wearing bright, happy colors to celebrate Brianne’s bright and colorful life. There will also be a celebration of her life in New Orleans, La., on Feb. 21, 2023.

Brianne was the daughter Blaine and Barbara Waychoff who raised her in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She graduated from Jefferson High School, received undergraduate and master degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and completed her Ph.D. work at Louisiana State University. She married the love of her life, Dr. Ben Powell, on June 26, 2010.

Dr. Waychoff was an associate professor of speech, communications and theatre arts at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Brianne was a feminist, a performance artist, a teacher and a force of nature. She was a prolific scholar recognized both nationally and internationally in performance studies and communication studies while focusing mostly on gender and communication courses within the Speech, Communications and Theatre Department at BMCC. In 2017 Brianne and her associate designed and launched the Gender and Women's Studies major together at BMCC. Brianne was incredibly proud of the program and a fierce advocate for each and every student she encountered in her work as co-chair of GWS. For Brianne the GWS program at BMCC was the culmination of years of advocacy, struggle and labor by an incredible group of women colleagues that came before her. Brianne was an incredible teacher and mentor for so many students at BMCC. Outside of her scholastic achievements, Brianne was loved by many people across the country. She gathered up friends in all the places she lived and traveled to and had an amazing ability to make everyone feel special. She is already and will forever be greatly missed by her family, her friends and her extended community.

Brianne is survived by her partner in life, Ben; her parents, Blaine and Barbara; her grandmother, Ruth Otten and Vince Gaffney, her longtime step-grandfather. She was a devoted sister to Abby Waychoff (Dan Murauski) and proud aunt of Orrie and Forrest Murauski. She is also survived by Ben’s family, who loved her as their own: father-in-law, Steve (Jo) Powell; mother-in-law, Nancy Thomas; brother-in-law, Sean (Cristal) Powell; sisters-in-law, Megan Russel (Chris) and Katie Hayes (Graham); and her niece and nephew, Sophia and Kaison.

She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Bob Otten and Ray Waychoff; grandmother, Joanne (Waychoff) Gaffney; and uncle, Robert Otten.

Memorials may be made to The Center at www.gaycenter.org or www.brigidalliance.org.

Online condolences may be shared at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.