The Kent State University at Ashtabula campus mourns the loss of former long-time faculty member Michael Brennan who passed away on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at the age of 72.
“Mike Brennan lived a life with purpose, and genuinely cared about the success of his students,” said Dean and Chief Administrative Officer Susan J. Stocker, Ph.D. He became a member of our faculty after dedicating years of service to students at Geneva High School. Mike was also a registered nurse, and that made him uniquely qualified to teach Anatomy and Physiology to our students. He could put the complex course content into context for the students. He was a valued colleague and friend. Mike was a gentle and caring soul who truly made a difference.”
Brennan first came to the Ashtabula Campus as an adjunct in 2004 before joining the staff full-time in 2007. He retired in Spring 2020 after nearly 50 years teaching science.
After earning both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Edinboro University, Brennan started his career teaching junior high science in Shaker Heights before joining the staff at Geneva High School where he taught high school science for 28 years. After serving as an adjunct faculty member at Kent State Ashtabula for several years, he became a full-time lecturer at the start of the 2007-08 academic year. He was promoted to Associate Lecturer in 2012 and to Senior Lecturer in 2015.
His primary focus in his later years was Anatomy and Physiology, guiding students through the rigors and challenges of coursework with a substantial amount of medical and scientific terminology and vocabulary. His work with the students through this initial science course has been critical in the success of Kent State Ashtabula’s Allied Health Degree programs.
Brennan had also been actively involved in the campus’s school visit programs, conducting presentations in the cadaver lab to high school students and basic biology lessons to elementary students.
The Brennan family has set up a scholarship fund in his name. Donations can be made payable to the Kent State University Foundation with “Mike Brennan Scholarship” in the check’s memo line. They can be mailed to Dean Susan Stocker, Kent State University at Ashtabula, 3300 Lake Road West, Ashtabula, OH, 44004.
He is survived by his wife Marcia Lynn (Marcy) Brennan (Ryder), son Michael Dylan Brennan (Gina Ventre), daughter Katerina Lyn Brennan (Richard Pence), step-daughter Courtney Myers Spies (Ben Spies) and grandchildren Gavin, Liam, Finn, and Levi.
A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, September 26 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm at The Winery at Spring Hill, 6062 South Ridge Road West, Geneva, Ohio. All are welcome.