Daniel J. Brennan
9/11/1929 - 6/5/2023
Daniel Joseph Brennan, 93, peacefully passed away on June 5th, 2023 in Kerrville, Texas.
Dan was born September 11, 1929, in South Bend, Indiana, to John R. Brennan and Josephine Fries Brennan. He was the eldest of three children, with sisters Kathleen Brennan Mikula and Mary Brennan Schilling preceding him in death.
His life was shaped by world events from the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean conflict, and oil & gas boom and bust cycles. He loved telling stories of beer bottles exploding in the basement of his childhood home, launching rockets, tracing battles on maps on his bedroom wall, having Babe Ruth watch neighborhood kids play ball on a vacant lot, and listening to international short-wave radio. In recent years, he compiled many of his stories and shared them with his family.
He grew up in South Bend and attended Notre Dame University where, in 1951, he earned his degree in Geology. He enjoyed the many dances held there and met his future wife, Shirley McWeeny Krause, during a mixer for St. Mary's and Notre Dame students. They had “lots of good times and socializing” that he remembered fondly. His education continued at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where he earned a Master of Science in Geology in 1952.
Shortly thereafter, Dan was drafted into the US Army and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky with the Third Armored Division, learning how to drive a tank. He was transferred to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he was assigned to the Engineer Test Unit. He was honorably discharged from reserve service in 1961.
In 1955, he married Shirley and the two spent their honeymoon driving to Tucson where he would earn his Ph.D. in Geology in 1958 after mapping the area southeast of Tucson, frequently on horseback. Their life at the University of Arizona included living in a Quonset hut, where they formed many sweet memories and their first two children, Elise and Maura, were born.
The family moved around as he built his career and by 1967 the family had grown to a robust 7 children. They lived in Montana, Oklahoma (3 times), Texas (3 times), Louisiana, New Mexico, Kansas. In 1963, he became a Geology professor at Wichita State University, then was the Head of the Geology Department at SUNY Cortland, followed by London Polytechnic before returning to the petroleum industry in the 80s. While a professor, he took summer jobs working in Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories. His adventures were documented in slides and many stories that the family would enjoy upon his return. These stories include a helicopter crash and coming face to face with caribou, bears, and a bull moose.
He was later employed by the State of Arizona as the State Geologist. His dissertation thesis has been proven and was instrumental in his work for the State. He was a 60+ year member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and was a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.
On his retirement in 1992, Dan and Shirley moved to Kerrville, Texas where they would spend decades enjoying the Hill Country. During this time, he wrote out stories of his adventures, spent years doing in-depth genealogy research, and produced hydrology reports and several articles on Kerr County. He especially loved bringing food to seniors through the Meals on Wheels charity until he was no longer able.
Dan is survived by six daughters, Elise Brennan of Fresno, CA, Maura (Kevin) Valentine of Van Nuys, CA, Sheila Brennan of Vallejo, CA, Jeanne (J.D.) Brennan Carballo of Delray Beach, Florida, Margaret (Mo) Maldonado of San Antonio, TX, and Caroline R. Brennan of Fort Collins, CO; and by a son, Matthew Brennan of El Paso, TX. He also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be 5-7 PM, Sunday, June 11 at Grimes Funeral Chapels.
Praying of the Rosary will be at 9:30 am followed by a funeral Mass at 10 am on Monday, June 12 at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville, TX. Interment after the Mass at the Garden of Memories Cemetery, 1517 TX-16, Kerrville, TX 78028. Reception to be determined.
For those wishing, flowers may be sent to Notre Dame Catholic Church, 909 Main Street, Kerrville Texas or a donation made to Dietert Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program in Kerrville. https://www.dietertcenter.org/donate1.html
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