Marie Lenore Brennan

Brennan, Marie Lenore (nee Levesque)

Born November 2, 1944, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, died peacefully, surrounded by family, on June 14, 2023,Brampton, Ontario.

Marie is survived by her loving children Brian and Denise Brennan, grandchildren Catherine Brennan and Brennan Del Giudice, her sisters Patricia (Patty) Levesque and Geraldine Levesque, daughter-in-law Dina Brennan and numerous nieces and nephews. Pre-deceased by her husband Martin “Dermot” Brennan, parents Albert and Flora Levesque, brothers Vincent Levesque and Duncan Levesque and her brother in-law Tommy Casey.

Marie was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo). After finishing high school in 1962, she worked in the Soo at a law office and then in financial services at Canada Permanent.  In 1965, Marie and her best friend Lorraine set their sights on a couple of new “foreign” guys in town, Marie chose the red headed Irishman, Dermot Brennan; Marie and Dermot soon feel in love and were married on September 3, 1966. After living in the Soo, Kitchener, London (Ontario) and Toronto, Marie and Dermot bought their first house in 1975 and moved to Brampton, where Marie would live for the rest of her life.

Marie continued to work in financial services after Brian was born in 1967, but put her career on hold after Denise was born in 1971. Marie babysat children to help make ends meet until returning to the workforce in the early 1980s when she stared a new phase in her career at Rorer Canada. Marie initially worked as a receptionist and then progressed to becoming a buyer in Rorer’s procurement department. After working at Rorer for about 10 years, Marie moved to American Standard to further advance her career in procurement.

Marie and Dermot always enjoyed a good party; they loved to dance and would jump onto the dance floor whenever the opportunity presented itself. Throughout their lives, they spent much time living life to its fullest with their best friends the Harwoods and John McCarthy, as well as Brian, Denise and their families.

Marie was a loving mother who was always there to support Brian and Denise, she was their biggest cheerleader and could always be counted on to provide sound advice and a morale boost whenever required. She was the “fun” parent who would participate in field trips and actively engage with Brian and Denise’s friends. When Marie became a Grandmother her passion for her family naturally extended to Catherine and Brennan, she loved spending time with both of them whenever she could, which included field trips with Catherine and looking after Brennan before and after school.

Marie was afflicted with dementia in her mid-sixties which had the cruel effect of stealing her beautiful personality from her family and friends far too early. Dermot cared for Marie at home until his health began to decline in 2018, at which point she moved to The Village of Sandalwood nursing home where she spent the last five years of her life.

Marie’s will to live was strong and she fought hard against dementia until her last breath. Marie will be dearly missed by her family and all who knew her well, but we take comfort in knowing that she is no longer suffering and is now at peace.

We would like to send a special thank you to the wonderful staff at the Village of Sandalwood. They treated Marie with care and compassion every day, always treating her like she was a member of their own family.