Richard G. Brennan

Richard Gerard Brennan, age 62, of Pine Brook, NJ passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 22, 2021 while receiving the loving care of his family.

Richard was born in Paterson, raised in Riverdale, and was one of six children to Andrew and Dolores Brennan. When Richard was born, he was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease. Doctors told Richard’s parents that he would likely not live past the age of fifteen. When Richard was ten years old, his parents decided to take a chance on a clinical trial operation by the National Institute of Health (NIH). The surgical procedure was the first of its kind and entailed surgically implanting Teflon patches, newly developed by the company DuPont, on Richard’s heart to cover the holes or “defects.” The operation was successful and Richard became somewhat of an instant celebrity. During his recovery, Richard was visited by a number of congressmen, senators, ambassadors, and even the King and Queen of Jordan. All of the dignitaries wanted their picture taken with Rich and would often bring toys and other gifts when they visited him, of course making his siblings a little jealous.  

Richard attended grammar school at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Pompton Lakes and later DePaul High School. Richard graduated from DePaul High School with the class of 1977. When Richard was just seventeen, he took a job at a local Pathmark Supermarket. After graduating from high school, Richard went on to William Paterson College not really knowing where his education would take him. During his time at William Paterson, Richard was offered a managerial position with Pathmark whom he had been working with for about three years. Richard kept his managerial position at Pathmark and his career with the company spanned thirty years from 1977 until 2001. Richard stopped working and retired in 2001 due to health issues.

In 1979 while attending a Young Adult Event at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, Richard met an attractive young lady by the name of Nancy Pankow, who worked with his mother at GAF. Richard and Nancy hit it off great and started dating. The couple dated for about seven years and as fate would have it, they fell in love and were married on April 27, 1986 at St. Mary's. After getting married, Richard and Nancy settled in Prospect Park, but they were not there for very long when they moved to Mahwah in 1988. While living in Mahwah, Richard and Nancy welcomed the births of their first two children, Matthew and Meghan. As the family started to grow, they moved to Waldwick in 1996 where they welcomed their third child, Colleen. In 1998 the family moved again, this time to Pompton Lakes and in 2002, the family moved to Pine Brook, NJ where they have been ever since.

Richard loved music and was a self-taught acoustic guitar player and was fluent on the harmonica as well. He could play by ear and was also able to read music and guitar tablature. Some of his favorite artists included James Taylor, Coldplay, Elvis, America, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Foster the People and The Eagles. He also loved the Peanuts franchise, with Snoopy and Woodstock being some of his favorites. He was an adept voice impressionist of sorts, often mimicking some of his favorite music artists and actors and cartoon characters. Richard had a way with quoting memorable movie lines with humor and memorable effect, and also would come up with comedic phrases of his very own that became part of his family's regular lexicon. He also enjoyed freshwater fishing and frequenting Island Beach State Park at the Jersey Shore for yearly summer family vacations. He adored celebrating the Christmas season with his family, and was very interested in learning about space, science, history, and new technology. Another of Richard’s favorite pastimes was gaming. He could often be found on his Xbox or his Nintendo gaming systems playing his favorite titles which included Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros, Super Mario/Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and Call of Duty. Richard was a devoted father and brother, always there for his family. He was not only devoted to his family but also to his Catholic Faith. He and his family were parishioners of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pompton Lakes for many years. Richard loved animals and always took the time to feed the birds and squirrels around his home. However, aside from all of Richard’s hobbies, interests, and talents, his greatest passion was for his family. Nothing in the world meant more to Richard than spending time with his family and friends. He had a unique way of immersive storytelling of engaging tales from his past, sharing family photos, and would sometimes quip "What are your hopes and dreams for the future?" He and his wife Nancy cherished twenty-seven years of loving and loyal marriage together until Nancy’s passing in 2013. Richard was a sweet, gentle, and kindhearted man who called everyone his friend. He was the type of guy you couldn’t help but like and want to be around. Richard had the gift of being able to find humor in anything, even if it was at his own expense. He had an infectious laugh and was always able to see the brighter side of things.  Richard was a very special man who touched the lives of everyone that knew him and will be truly missed by his family and friends.

Richard is survived by his three children: his son Matthew Brennan of Pine Brook, NJ, Meghan Walker and her husband Devaughn of Pine Brook, NJ, and Colleen Brennan of Pine Brook, NJ, one sister Maureen Tencza and her fiancé Ernest Dane, one brother Joseph Brennan and his wife Beth of Doylestown, PA, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Nancy (nee Pankow) in 2013, his sister Rosemary Uhl and brother John Brennan in 2011, and his brother Andrew Brennan in 2020.

Those wishing to make a donation in Richard’s name are asked to consider the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston MA 02241-7005 http://www.heart.org, or National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St, New York, NY 10016 http://www.kidney.org