Alan Brennan died November 28, 2021 at Rochester General Hospital, aged 97. He was born May 19, 1924, to Thomas and Gladys Brennan, and grew up in Rockaway Beach, New York with his sister Ursula. He and his friends loved experimenting with radios and electronics and riding their bikes along the Long Island Shore (often with his dog Fritzi in the bike basket). After his World War II service (on a B-24 Liberator above Italy), Alan graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in electrical engineering and a lifelong love of all things electronics-related. He returned to New York City, where he worked at RCA, taught himself saxophone and sailing (including an aborted circumnavigation of Long Island), and met Nancy Ross, whom he married in 1954.
Alan and Nancy moved to Rochester, where he worked at Stromberg Carlson (later General Dynamics) and the two of them hand-built the family home in the Perinton hills above Egypt. Ross was born in 1960 and David in 1962; the boys went to Fairport schools and the family enjoyed skiing, boating, and summer trips to Maine. Alan continued pursuing his love of electronic engineering as a project manager for Velmex in West Bloomfield. Alan and Nancy divorced in 1972, and Alan lived briefly in Pittsford and Canandaigua, where he met Mary Spanagel. Alan and Mary married in 1985 and moved to a canal-front home near Bushnell’s Basin. Mary passed away in 1993.
Alan enjoyed a lengthy retirement – traveling the U.S. and Europe; hiking, sailing, and canoeing in the area; visiting with neighbors by the canal; and pursuing lots of hobbies including art, creative writing, and darkroom photography. He never lost his passion for electronics and had a basement full of projects. And he enjoyed his three grandchildren: Annie, Lizzie, and Andre.
In accordance with Alan’s wishes, a memorial service will not be held.
Comments
4 responses to “Brennan, Alan T.”
He was a man with a great sense of humor. I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him and especially hearing his life stories and his experiences.
My Condolences to his family.
He will be sorely missed.
May He Rest in Peace….
We were neighbors and friends for 20 years. He was brilliant, funny and a great conversationalist. We shared many meals and he seemed to eat anything. We turned down his offers of sardines and ginger, though, Our dog loved him, too, and sat next to him whenever he was in our house or his. A kind and generous man, he will be sorely missed!
We were neighbors and friends for 20 years. He was brilliant, funny and a great conversationalist. We shared many meals and he seemed to eat anything. We turned down his offers of sardines and ginger, though, Our dog loved him, too, and sat next to him whenever he was in our house or his. A kind and generous man, he will be sorely missed!
We greatly enjoyed the company of our neighbor, Alan for close to forty years, during which time he supported our children as grandfather and provided our dogs Bandy and Tawny with companionship. He could frequently be found on his deck. screwdriver in hand, working on an errant computer or some other device, as any electrical engineer would do. We watched as he constructed a pond to hold his collection of koi fish. and spent many hours beside the canal watching the runners and cyclists along the opposite shore.
He will be greatly missed.