George Brennan

George Brennan, Former Labor Department Official, dies at 89.

George Brennan, a former Department of Labor regional official with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, died on November 4. He was 89 years old. He joined the Labor Department following a 30 year career in the building trades industry as a member of the Wood, Wire and Metal Lathers Local 46 in New York City. While at the Department of Labor he was tasked with recruiting young people for on-the-job training with construction and manufacturing companies for what he saw as a viable alternative to a four year degree.

He was for many years a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Manhattan. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and Power Memorial High School, also in Manhattan. He served in the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division during the Korean War. Later, he lived for over fifty years in Matawan and Hamilton Township, New Jersey. He was a long time parishioner at St. Joseph's in Keyport, New Jersey and a member of the Knights of Columbus.  He and his wife moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina in April of this year.

George Brennan was born on November 15, 1928 in Hell's Kitchen to George Brennan of Castlecomer, (County Kilkinney) Ireland and Ann (née Cunningham) of Kiltimagh (County Mayo), Ireland.  In 1955 he married Marie (née Forrest) from Limavady, (County Derry) Northern Ireland. He was the father of six: Anne Marie (Michael) Hobson of Wayne, Pennsylvania; Eileen (John) Cameron of Evans, Georgia; George (Patricia) of Westlake Village, California; Deirdre (James) McCarthy of Bluffton, South Carolina; Kathleen (James) Kren of Arlington, Virginia and Christopher (Mary) of Rye Neck, New York. He was the eldest of four brothers and he had two sisters. He leaves eighteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, November 10, 2018 at St. Andrew Chapel, 220 Pinckney Colony Road, Bluffton, SC 29909. Inurnment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.