Obituary of Brian Anthony BRENNAN

October 4, 1943 – Dublin, Ireland
February 21, 2021 – Calgary, Alberta

Brian Brennan, beloved husband of Zelda Brennan, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at the age of 77 years. The lovely words below are from Brian himself.

I once made a living writing the obits of other people. Here I get to write my own.

My story began in Dublin, Ireland on Oct. 4, 1943. I received the gift of life and held it close for 77 years. Returning the gift wasn't easy. But it was always meant to be and I accepted that. No tears, no regrets. I tried to savour every moment, the winters as well as the summers, the springs and the autumns.

I came to Canada on Remembrance Day 1966. I never forgot that date. And I never forget Feb. 29, 1968, the day I met Zelda Pineau of Hope River, Prince Edward Island. We met at the Black Knight Lounge in Halifax, where I had a piano-playing gig. Playing piano for a living was a dream I'd never been able to fulfil in Ireland. Zelda worked at a Halifax insurance office. She would later find her calling as a teacher just as I found mine as a journalist. We brought out the best in each other.

We married in Vancouver on a sunny day in November. After that, we annually celebrated our anniversary on the last day of February. This would always be our special day; commemorating the day we met. Equally special was March 10, the day our wonderful daughter Nico was born, in Smithers, British Columbia. We moved to Smithers after I landed my first reporting job at the weekly Interior News. Zelda had encouraged me to do something with my writing because she liked the letters I sent her while on the road as a musician. I followed her advice and fulfilled another long-held dream: I became a newspaperman.

After on-the-job training in Smithers and Prince George I joined the Calgary Herald as a staff writer and stayed there for 25 years. I won a few prizes, including the national Hollobon Award for medical reporting and two golds in the Western Magazine Awards. I also served on national boards, as a regional rep for the Canadian Association of Journalists and as president of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association.

My last Herald gig was writing the Tribute obituary column, which set the stage for the 12 books of biography and social history I wrote after leaving the paper. Once I caught the storytelling bug, I was fixated for life. If I wasn't writing to put wine in the cupboard, I was posting to my blog (still found at my website, www.brianbrennan.ca , along with stuff about my books).

And now, as I cross the bar, I must pen some farewells. First to my dearest Zelda and Nico, my precious companions on the journey. We will be together again on the other side. Next to my brothers Michael (Berna) and John in Ireland. Then to all my nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and other family members. I’ve already said farewell to my beloved sister Mary, who died of respiratory failure in August 2017, at the too-young age of 67.

A tip of the hat to my friends in music, journalism and book writing, especially my colleagues at The Writers' Union of Canada, who rolled out the red carpet for me after my first book appeared on the shelves. And finally, a bow to the surviving members of the Club of 93, who helped me make it home before night as we raced against the dark. I enjoyed spending an important part of my life with you all. "So, fill to me the parting glass," the old song said. "Good night and joy be with you all."

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In living memory of Brian Brennan, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.