Martha Jean Brennan, 79, beloved wife and mother was born to Leo and Marguerite Howe on April 28, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan, passed away on Monday, January 4, 2010. Although it was a heart attack that finally brought her to rest, figuratively speaking she died of a broken heart. For in recent years without her life's partner Marty at her side, Martha carried an emptiness that darkened her days.
Family was everything to Mom. Like her departed husband and our dad Marty, to whom she was married for 52 years, she was the seventh of seven children and in turn had seven children of her own, all who survive her today: Marty (Leta) Brennan, Jr., Terry (Ryan) Armbruster, Betsy (Bill) Moynihan, Joe (Barbara) Brennan, Tony Brennan, Jean (Nate) Fisher, and Dan (Cristy) Brennan, plus 15 happy and healthy grandchildren.
As a mother of seven, Mom certainly had her hands full. Measles, mumps, skinned knees, torn clothes, broken bones, crashed cars – all times seven! Keeping tabs on our whereabouts from the tumultuous streets of Detroit in the '60s to the stormy waters of Lake Huron and finally to the bluebird skies of Idaho was no easy task. But Mom seemed to manage it effortlessly and was always happiest when surrounded by her brood. Happily and proudly (perhaps with a big sigh of relief) she saw us all go on to college and build loving families of our own.
College was but a parenthesis in Mom's life. She used to reminisce that after graduating high school from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Detroit, as the youngest of seven and the War coming to an end, her older siblings were having way too many parties for her to go off to school anywhere. She wasn't about to miss out on any of the fun! It was at one of those parties that her flame ignited for Dad, and from there her life came to be devoted to packing school lunches and arranging Sunday brunches. Later – as we children grew – there was always a standing invitation to a feast at Sunday dinner.
Over the years Martha played in many a bowling league, golf league and bridge group, and her backhand at ping-pong was not to be fooled with. She loved the water, boating, and spending summer days soaking in the sun – whether at a picnic brunch at scenic Discovery Park or on the glittery shores of Payette Lake.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9, at 10 a.m. at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.
In lieu of flowers, Martha wished that donations be made to the St. Alphonsus Foundation, Emergency Department Fund, 1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706, tel. (208) 367-2121.
Family was everything to Mom. Like her departed husband and our dad Marty, to whom she was married for 52 years, she was the seventh of seven children and in turn had seven children of her own, all who survive her today: Marty (Leta) Brennan, Jr., Terry (Ryan) Armbruster, Betsy (Bill) Moynihan, Joe (Barbara) Brennan, Tony Brennan, Jean (Nate) Fisher, and Dan (Cristy) Brennan, plus 15 happy and healthy grandchildren.
As a mother of seven, Mom certainly had her hands full. Measles, mumps, skinned knees, torn clothes, broken bones, crashed cars – all times seven! Keeping tabs on our whereabouts from the tumultuous streets of Detroit in the '60s to the stormy waters of Lake Huron and finally to the bluebird skies of Idaho was no easy task. But Mom seemed to manage it effortlessly and was always happiest when surrounded by her brood. Happily and proudly (perhaps with a big sigh of relief) she saw us all go on to college and build loving families of our own.
College was but a parenthesis in Mom's life. She used to reminisce that after graduating high school from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Detroit, as the youngest of seven and the War coming to an end, her older siblings were having way too many parties for her to go off to school anywhere. She wasn't about to miss out on any of the fun! It was at one of those parties that her flame ignited for Dad, and from there her life came to be devoted to packing school lunches and arranging Sunday brunches. Later – as we children grew – there was always a standing invitation to a feast at Sunday dinner.
Over the years Martha played in many a bowling league, golf league and bridge group, and her backhand at ping-pong was not to be fooled with. She loved the water, boating, and spending summer days soaking in the sun – whether at a picnic brunch at scenic Discovery Park or on the glittery shores of Payette Lake.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9, at 10 a.m. at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.
In lieu of flowers, Martha wished that donations be made to the St. Alphonsus Foundation, Emergency Department Fund, 1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706, tel. (208) 367-2121.
Martha Jean Brennan, 79, beloved wife and mother was born to Leo and Marguerite Howe on April 28, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan, passed away on Monday, January 4, 2010. Although it was a heart attack that finally brought her to rest, figuratively speaking she died of a broken heart. For in recent years without her life's partner Marty at her side, Martha carried an emptiness that darkened her days.
Family was everything to Mom. Like her departed husband and our dad Marty, to whom she was married for 52 years, she was the seventh of seven children and in turn had seven children of her own, all who survive her today: Marty (Leta) Brennan, Jr., Terry (Ryan) Armbruster, Betsy (Bill) Moynihan, Joe (Barbara) Brennan, Tony Brennan, Jean (Nate) Fisher, and Dan (Cristy) Brennan, plus 15 happy and healthy grandchildren.
As a mother of seven, Mom certainly had her hands full. Measles, mumps, skinned knees, torn clothes, broken bones, crashed cars – all times seven! Keeping tabs on our whereabouts from the tumultuous streets of Detroit in the '60s to the stormy waters of Lake Huron and finally to the bluebird skies of Idaho was no easy task. But Mom seemed to manage it effortlessly and was always happiest when surrounded by her brood. Happily and proudly (perhaps with a big sigh of relief) she saw us all go on to college and build loving families of our own.
College was but a parenthesis in Mom's life. She used to reminisce that after graduating high school from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Detroit, as the youngest of seven and the War coming to an end, her older siblings were having way too many parties for her to go off to school anywhere. She wasn't about to miss out on any of the fun! It was at one of those parties that her flame ignited for Dad, and from there her life came to be devoted to packing school lunches and arranging Sunday brunches. Later – as we children grew – there was always a standing invitation to a feast at Sunday dinner.
Over the years Martha played in many a bowling league, golf league and bridge group, and her backhand at ping-pong was not to be fooled with. She loved the water, boating, and spending summer days soaking in the sun – whether at a picnic brunch at scenic Discovery Park or on the glittery shores of Payette Lake.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9, at 10 a.m. at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.
In lieu of flowers, Martha wished that donations be made to the St. Alphonsus Foundation, Emergency Department Fund, 1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706, tel. (208) 367-2121.
Family was everything to Mom. Like her departed husband and our dad Marty, to whom she was married for 52 years, she was the seventh of seven children and in turn had seven children of her own, all who survive her today: Marty (Leta) Brennan, Jr., Terry (Ryan) Armbruster, Betsy (Bill) Moynihan, Joe (Barbara) Brennan, Tony Brennan, Jean (Nate) Fisher, and Dan (Cristy) Brennan, plus 15 happy and healthy grandchildren.
As a mother of seven, Mom certainly had her hands full. Measles, mumps, skinned knees, torn clothes, broken bones, crashed cars – all times seven! Keeping tabs on our whereabouts from the tumultuous streets of Detroit in the '60s to the stormy waters of Lake Huron and finally to the bluebird skies of Idaho was no easy task. But Mom seemed to manage it effortlessly and was always happiest when surrounded by her brood. Happily and proudly (perhaps with a big sigh of relief) she saw us all go on to college and build loving families of our own.
College was but a parenthesis in Mom's life. She used to reminisce that after graduating high school from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Detroit, as the youngest of seven and the War coming to an end, her older siblings were having way too many parties for her to go off to school anywhere. She wasn't about to miss out on any of the fun! It was at one of those parties that her flame ignited for Dad, and from there her life came to be devoted to packing school lunches and arranging Sunday brunches. Later – as we children grew – there was always a standing invitation to a feast at Sunday dinner.
Over the years Martha played in many a bowling league, golf league and bridge group, and her backhand at ping-pong was not to be fooled with. She loved the water, boating, and spending summer days soaking in the sun – whether at a picnic brunch at scenic Discovery Park or on the glittery shores of Payette Lake.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9, at 10 a.m. at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.
In lieu of flowers, Martha wished that donations be made to the St. Alphonsus Foundation, Emergency Department Fund, 1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706, tel. (208) 367-2121.
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