Obituary of Thomas Joseph Brennan Jr.

Thomas Joseph Brennan, Jr.

The Lord, in His infinite mercy, lifted from this life our beloved Tommy, 85, at home on Monday, May 13th, 2019.  He was born in New York City, NY to the late Thomas J. Brennan, Sr. and Catherine Brennan.  He moved to Cottonwood, Arizona in 2002 with his wife, Marianne Brennan, where they lived after retiring in 1999.  Tommy’s lifelong hope was to move West to ride horses which was a dream that came true.  He had many passions:  hunting, fishing, golfing, woodworking, whittling and above all painting.    After graduating from Long Island City High School, he enlisted in the Army in 1952 and spent the following two years serving in Korea.  After his military service, he worked for Con Edison in NY as a lineman, a skill he learned in the military.  Years later he was employed by the LaGrangeville Highway Department in NY and worked construction jobs until he was hired by the Penn Central Railroad as a conductor.  Tommy advanced to yardmaster for both New Haven Railroad in Connecticut and Metro North Railroad in New York, until his retirement.  Despite his busy schedule, he was a Webelos Den Leader for Pack 82, LaGrangeville, NY.  He also attended Rockland Community College, Dutchess Community College, and Yavapai College to explore his interests, the last one being Equine Science and English and Western Riding.

Tommy is survived by his wife, Marianne, of 59 years, sons Timothy Brennan (Jo-Anne), Lucas Brennan (Tammy), Ira Brennan (Lisa) and daughter Desirée Brennan-Lynch (Scot).  In addition, he leaves eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.  Remaining living siblings are two brothers, Martin Brennan (Lena), Edmund Brennan (Margaret), and a sister, Marilyn Mallon. He is preceded in death by four sisters and a brother.

A celebration of Tommy’s life will take place on Saturday, June 29th at 11:00 a.m. at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 330 Scenic Drive, Clarkdale, AZ, 86324.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tommy’s memory to any number of remarkable organizations who provided love and support to the Brennan family:  Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, DaVita Dialysis, (1669 E. Cottonwood St., Ste. A-200, Cottonwood, AZ 86326) and Northern Arizona Hospice (203 S. Candy Lane, Ste. 10A, Cottonwood, AZ). 86326).