Brissenden, whose family owned department stores, was born and raised in Springfield. She graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia; after graduation, she worked at United Way in St. Louis, getting to know the city and making lifelong friends. Her husband, Walter F. Brissenden, died in 1986. She had no immediate family.

Brissenden was a friend of OTSL founder Elihu Hyndman, said founding general director Richard Gaddes. Hyndman, who knew of Brissenden’s interest in and love of opera, told her about the new company and asked her, "'Do you suppose that you might make a gift of $2,000?' And she did," Gaddes said. "She was a faithful sponsor, contributor and supporter from '76 on. She frequently used to say ‘Opera Theatre is my family.’ Her enthusiasm for Opera Theatre was contagious. She was there a lot. The opera was her life, and she’s acknowledged that in her gift.”

A modest person, Brissenden made most of her gifts anonymously; the company said that she donated approximately $2.5 million over the decades.