John Lawrence "Larry" Brennan, Jr.

John Lawrence Brennan Jr., 70, known to all as “Larry,” passed away on December 9, 2017, in Naples, FL.  He was a beloved father, brother, son, friend, coach and mentor.  Larry was born in Miami, FL on January 1, 1947, and was the oldest child of John Lawrence Brennan and Eugenie Marie Brennan (nee Warriner).  He ultimately became the older brother to five siblings, three brothers and two sisters.

Larry grew up in Miami and attended Southwest Miami High School where he was President of the debate team and was active with the chess club.  Larry had always been a student of chess and placed first in the beginners division of the US Chess Championships, as an 8 year old, in 1955. He graduated high school in 1964 and then attended Florida State University in Tallahassee. As a freshman, Larry was one of the founding fathers of the Chi Phi fraternity chapter at Florida State, forming friendships he valued for the rest of his life.  While attending college he married Anne Francis McCann in 1967.  Larry graduated from FSU with a degree in History in 1968 and was accepted into the FSU College of Law. However, world events would alter his plans.  With the United States at war in Vietnam, Larry enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.  He shipped off to Officer Candidates School in Quantico, VA in 1969, just after the birth of his first son, Jack.  Larry was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served as an atomic demolition and munitions officer on active duty from 1969 to 1972 and in the reserves for a number of years thereafter, reaching the rank of Captain.  He also supervised various military construction projects.  His second son, Doug, was born in 1971 while the family was stationed at Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, NC.   Following his active duty service, the family relocated back to Miami where Larry began working as an electrician, eventually joining his father’s company, Elwood Electric Co., which grew to be one of the largest residential electrical contractors in the state of Florida.  Larry would become a Master Electrician.  Larry enjoyed the electrical trade, often relating the satisfaction of completing a job and then flipping a switch to bring light where there had previously been none.

Larry was, at his core, a teacher.  He was generous with both his time and knowledge. Larry had always been a maker and fixer of things.  Throughout his life he enjoyed woodworking and he built all but one of the houses in which his family lived. He served as a Cub Scout leader and enjoyed imparting his knowledge to his sons and anyone else interested in learning.

Larry loved baseball and was a student of the game, which he saw as a metaphor for life in so many ways.  Larry, his father, and brothers helped build baseball fields for the St. Timothy’s Catholic Church little league in Miami, where he also coached his sons’ teams and taught countless young athlete’s the fine art of “step and throw” and the importance of sportsmanship.

In 1976, Larry met and married his second wife, Jean E. Faulkner, and in 1977 his third son, Michael, was born.  Larry and Jean were married almost 25 years.  In 1981, Larry moved to Marco Island, at the request of his father, to supervise the electrical work on two high rise condominium towers being constructed on the beach.  He enjoyed the Naples/Marco Island area so much that the family left Miami and joined him in 1982.  Larry eventually became a licensed general contractor and began his own contracting business.  After a few years, he put his extensive construction knowledge to use as a building inspector for Collier County.  Additionally, Larry served on various contractor licensing boards. He also made an unsuccessful run for a seat on the Collier County Board of Commissioners.

In his private time he continued to coach his sons’ little league baseball teams and served as the President of the Gulf Coast Little League for many years. While there, Larry oversaw the improvement of the facilities and suggested a baseball camp for players, a vision that was ultimately fulfilled through others and produced nearly 10,000 campers.  He would continue to serve as an assistant coach to his sons up through high school and then transitioned to being their biggest fans. Even after his sons graduated from high school, Larry would volunteer at Lely High football games as a member of the “chain gang” on the sidelines. 

Larry had a clever wit and laughter was a constant presence at gatherings of his family and friends.

In 1985 Larry made his passion for teaching his profession, becoming an instructor in the electrical program at the James Lorenzo Walker Vocational Technical Center in Naples.  In this position he taught his students not just the skills necessary to succeed in the electrical trade, but skills he knew they would need to succeed in life.

In 2002 Larry married his current wife, Barbara. A few years later, Larry left the Vo-tech, but continued his love of teaching as a history and career development teacher at Palmetto Ridge High School.  His students there referred to him affectionately as “Chickendog,” a catch-all term Larry coined.

After retiring from teaching around 2007, Larry and Barb enjoyed a few years off before Larry ended his career as a machine operator with medical device maker, Arthrex, where he enjoyed the many teammates with whom he worked.

One of Larry’s favorite pieces of advice was “to leave everything you do and every place you are better than you found it.”  Those that knew him understand that this was not just advice he gave, but his lifetime practice, whether in service to his country, his community, his students or his family.

Larry is survived by his loving wife of 15 years, Barbara Brennan, his three sons, John “Jack” L. Brennan III (Elenita), Douglas J. Brennan (Andrea) and Michael F. Brennan (Jessica), step-children, John Wilkinson (Leslie) and Katherine Cook, previous wives, Fran Brennan and Jean Brennan, brothers, Mike Brennan (Sissy), Patrick Brennan (Judy), Jeff Brennan (Barbara), sisters Marie Taylor (Don) and Lorraine Brennan O’Neil (Gordon), grandchildren, Austen, Caitlin, Alissa, Brien, Joseph, Juliana, Mia, Madeline, Jackson, Ashton, Johnny, Sarah, Alyssa and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held for Larry at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at Fuller Funeral Home, 1625 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL 34109.  Larry will be interred at a later date at the Florida National Cemetery for veterans in Bushnell, FL.  In lieu of flowers, Larry asked that any donations be made to the Humane Society Naples (hsnaples.org) in honor of the many wonderful dogs he adopted during his life.

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