Stephen Wesley Brennan

Stephen Wesley Brennan ("Steve") passed away surrounded by close friends on July 28, 2023, in New York City. Born on May 13, 1950, Steve grew up in Steubenville, Ohio and graduated from Northland High School. He then moved to Columbus where he worked in many locally owned bookstores. In the early 1980s, Steve became a sales representative for Avon Books. He left the book industry in the mid-1980s to help run a small company that worked with local Girl Scouts troops to administer their annual cookie drives.

Steve was active in the LGBTQ community in Columbus during the 1980s and 1990s. He participated in planning meetings for the local chapter of ACT UP and was instrumental in the early development of Kaleidoscope Youth Center, a LGBTQ youth drop-in center that is still operating today. For many years, Steve helped set up book vendors for the Columbus Pride Parade.

In 1995, Steve moved to New York City with his then-partner. He worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for interior decorators and pursued his passion for portraiture photography, shooting hundreds of subjects across three decades. He also had a beloved pug named Maggie, who he would walk in Prospect Park until she passed away in 2015.

Steve shared his love with many, and he was beloved in return. He was smart, funny, wise and always willing to listen and lend a hand to anyone in need. He had a beautiful deep radio voice, and anyone who met him on the street would feel compelled to share their life story with him on the spot. He loved stimulating, authentic conversation and hated pretense and bulls***. He saw through it all. You could tell him anything about yourself and not feel any judgment - just genuine curiosity, compassion and love.

Artist and friend Robert German wrote:

If you look up into the night sky, You might think there is another star tonight.

You are mistaken. Those are three bright lights and they are pointed at you,

Adjusting their distance and their angle to the will of a passionate and master craftsman.

A dog tugs at the end of his pant leg and snorts. In the great park in the sky they are together and he is crafting the perfect photo and smiling at you while frowning with his eyes.

You listened with all of your soul.

You loved with all of your heart.

You saw with the realism of a pragmatist and the absurdity of an artist

You did not suffer fools.

You were a gem.

I am one of the ragtag souls you took and loved and made to feel seen.

I am one of the many artists who you supported like a mother bear.

I am one of the many deep conversations, deep thoughts, deep loves

I love you forever and completely Steve Brennan.

Thank you for sharing some of your beautiful life with me.

Steve is predeceased by his parents and brother and is survived by the many friends he kept close over the decades. During his time in NYC, he lived in Astoria, Park Slope, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Harlem. We would like to thank the heroic doctors, nurses, and support staff at Mount Sinai for their extraordinary professionalism, compassion, dedication, and kindness in Steve's final days. A memorial gathering to celebrate Steve's life was held on Saturday, October 7, 2023 in Brooklyn.

Steve dedicated much of his life to supporting, comforting, mentoring and uplifting LGBTQ young people who were rejected by their families; therefore, we are asking friends and family to make a donation in his memory to the Ali Forney Center, whose mission is to shelter and support homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City. You can donate here: https://fundraise.aliforneycenter.org/steve-brennan