Patricia Ann (McCormick) Brennan, beloved wife of the late Thomas M. Brennan passed away peacefully at her Camp Hill home of sixty years in the loving company of family, on July 30th, three days shy of her 89th birthday.

Surviving her, and already greatly missing their amazing Mom are her four children and their spouses: James Brennan (Olga), Dr. Maureen Brennan-Weaver (John), Thomas P. Brennan, and Margaret "Meg" Schneck (Brendan). Also deeply mourning the death of their fabulous Nana are five grandchildren: Brendan, Courtney and Patrick Schneck, Caity Weaver, and Nadine Brennan, and two great granddaughters: Jacqueline Legault and Madison Brennan Lindsay (who Pat met for the first time only days before she died).

Patricia was Born and raised in Shamokin, Pa. She grew up in the tight-knit, depression-era coal regions, a world full of cousins, aunts and uncles and close friends all around the block. She adored her parents, James and Pauline, and was the idolized older sister of Maureen, Jim and Greg.

Her high school years were also WWII years. She wanted to do her share with a defense industry job and finally got one. The war ended a week later.

She attended Misericordia College where she majored in English and Latin, and graduated Magna cum laude. Having studied Latin, she knew what that meant. After graduation, she became a school teacher. Her first assignment was in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in Dauphin County. There she taught elementary students from nearby farms. She wasn't happy about the classroom's gray walls, so she recruited her brothers to help her paint them pink. Among her fondest memories (and no doubt theirs) was the day she took all her students to see the circus in Harrisburg.

She met Thomas Brennan also of Shamokin at nickel beer night at the American Legion 1948 (don't do the math on her age at that beer night). She had a keen eye for talent and admired his dancing skills. The beer was cheap, but their courtship was long. They married in 1954. The children came one-a-year starting in 1955.

The well-remembered highlights of Pat's child-raising years in the 1960's were the first communions, confirmations, sports, school plays and events at Good Shepherd School. The summer days with all her kids at the Camp Hill pool. The annual vacations to the faded glory of the Dennis Hotel in Atlantic City. The late-summer, family-camping weekend. The long-weekend trip New York City to see some shows during the school year. And the many visits to Shamokin family and friends.

In her later years, she enjoyed taking trips to California to visit her son Jim's family (and his backyard pool) and also traveling to Long Island to visit Meg's family (and their pool). Her children were dedicated swimmers, but Pat only did a side-stroke where her face never touched in the water, nevertheless she loved swimming pools. Being in them and lounging beside them.

Pat was proudest of her children, grandchildren and her home. She and Tom purchased their first and only house after the birth of their second child. It was a one-story bungalow to which Tom added a second floor, working at nights and weekends until it was ready for his family. Though it was never really finished, Tom was always moving on to the next room to re-model. Pat was always wishing he'd give it a break. Her home and its yard were models of neatness and charm. She delighted in her garden, in earlier years she would raise vegetables, but later it was a flower show every spring in her backyard and throughout the house.

There wasn't a holiday that Pat didn't decorate her front porch and window boxes, she had a box of ornaments for each one--Christmas, Valentines, Saint Patrick’s, Easter, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving. One cast of holiday characters would come down and the next would go up.

A great tragedy in her life was the too-early passing of her brother Greg from cancer in 1983. Pat and her sister Maureen were Greg's fellow warriors in seeking out new treatments wherever they could find them. She cherished the summer all three of them spent together in the Bahamas while Greg was treated at a clinic there.

Pat was also the devoted caregiver to her husband Tom during his long illness following a stroke he suffered at a celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. Tom passed away in 2007.

Her children and grandchildren would like you to know these things about their mom and Nana:

She was the first one up and the last one to bed. And when the second person work up, she'd say "Oh, you're up early!"

She would put tinsel out in her backyard trees and bushes, so the birds would collect it and have the prettiest nests in the neighborhood.

She would talk to total strangers in elevators. And the strangers were always fine with it--fast friends by the time they exited.

She did feel the cocktails at the restaurants in California were consistently "weak" when she visited there. She had no complaints about the drinks of Long Island, however.

She loved popular music of all eras and would sing along to Frank Sinatra, Al Green, the Mamas and the Papas and Willie Nelson while she cleaned and cooked. She had strong opinions about "The Voice" and "Dancing With the Stars"--both of the contestants and the judges.

Her beautiful white hair. Anytime you wandered away from her in public, it was easy to find your way back to her. You just looked for the white cloud.

Her advice for every situation was to "walk in there with your head high and your shoulders back". All her children and grandchildren have excellent posture.

She baked enough Christmas cookies to feed an army and always re-filled the tray before it had time to completely empty. She said everything she cooked in the last five (perhaps ten) years of her life was "terrible" that she had "forgotten how to cook". Meanwhile, the food was always delicious without fail.

She was endlessly amused by the birds splashing around in her birdbath. She loved to watch her kitchen-window bird feeder. And was engaged in a six-decade battle to keep squirrels away from it. Though she liked the squirrels too, well somewhat. She didn't hate the rabbits that ate her flowers, fruit and vegetables. Though she was often disappointed in them.

Princess, Red (Reggie), Nikita, and Roxy--all the family dogs worshiped her. And all visiting dogs, too. Her "scraps" were like no one else's. She would always regret in her later, dogless years that there were none left to enchant with her "leftovers".
You would have wanted her on your jury. She always thought the best of everyone and would probably have found you not guilty.
All the Saints in heaven will already know Nana from her constant praying for her family, friends and neighbors in any and every difficult situation.

Just like she is praying for us all now.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August 13, 2018 at 11:00 am at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 3435 E. Trindle Rd., Camp Hill. Visitation will be at the church from 10:00 to 11:00. A private family burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, give a few dollars each to the children in your life in Pat's memory. If you want to make a charitable donation in her honor, Pat was an ardent supporter of her son Tom's organization, PhillyAIDSThrift.com

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