NANCY BRENNAN

BRENNAN, NANCY PARKINSON Nancy Parkinson Brennan, 89, of Woodmont, passed away on May 10, 2014. Born in Stockton, California, on August 22, 1924, she was the daughter of the late Herman Owen Parkinson and Constance Dyer Parkinson. Wife of the late Joseph R. Brennan and beloved mother of Robert Brennan (Sara), Patricia Brennan (Dr. Charles Haigh), Michael Brennan (Carol), all of Milford; the late Kathleen Brennan Stohr of Spofford, NH, and John Brennan of Longwood, FL; grandmother of Numi, Ifrane, Aila and Kaelyn Brennan, Benjamin and Samantha Stohr, Shane, Colby and Owen Brennan; and the great-grandmother of Charles Ellis Brennan. She was predeceased by her brother, Samuel Dexter Parkinson; and is survived by her sister, Jean Parkinson Carey of Nisswa, MN. Nancy’s formative years were spent in White Plains, NY where she credited her mother and father with instilling within her a love of song, a belief in faith and the importance of involvement with church. After graduating from the College of Wooster, Ohio, in 1946, she returned to White Plains to work at the New York School for the Deaf; it was there where she was to meet her future husband. In 1948 she married Joseph Brennan. They soon made their home and raised their family in the Borough of Woodmont. In 1955 she became a member of a local church that would later become the Woodmont United Church of Christ. It was here, welcomed by the loving community of this church and given the opportunity to teach three-year-olds, where she was to further realize her great love of young children and music that were to forever remain an important part of her life. She wrote at this time “that if God is the light and our job is to share that light I can do this with young children and have fun doing so.” As her family grew she returned to college and received a Masters Degree in Education from SCSU. She was to teach kindergarten for 21 years in Milford and was actively involved with the Milford Summer Head Start Program for ten of those years. A resident for over 60 years, she could be found enjoying the beaches, be it swimming or walking, always within the company of family and good friends, and always with her straw hat and a beautiful smile. Nancy had a wonderful sense of adventure—whether it was canoeing down the Allagash, para-sailing in Mexico, skiing (wherever there was snow, even into her 80’s), bicycling through Holland, or touring in Alaska, Italy, France or Ireland. She was forever guided by her motto, “I‘m still having fun.” As a child, each summer her family would spend the entire month of August at a different location in Maine. She had a great love for this time in her life. Her way to share this with her children, grandchildren and many other relatives and friends was to make it a tradition for everyone to gather each year in August, in Maine. It was her belief that the thoughts running in one’s head often determined the world around you. She always strived to live with faith filled words of peace, love and healing. She expressed that she felt full of joy and gratitude from Gods’ love and guidance and was forever grateful for her blessings. She was a loving and steadfast mother who believed that her children were just wonderful and capable of doing anything. Her positive attitude and acceptance of everyone—no matter where they were in life’s journey—was an inspiration to many people. Family and friends may call on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at Cody White Funeral Home, 107 Broad Street, Milford, CT 06460, from 12:00 to 3:00 PM, with a prayer service at 2:30 PM. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nancy’s name to WUCC, 1000 New Haven Avenue, Milford, CT 06460; or to the Milford Senior Center (Ahrens Progarm), 9 Jepson Drive, Milford, CT 06460. To leave online condolences, please visit our website at www.codywhitefuneralservice.com