Mary Margaret Brennand's Obituary
Mary Margaret (Brennand) Wegener, age 75, of Waukesha, WI, passed away at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, WI. She was born in Oshkosh, WI on December 22, 1948 a daughter of the late George and Kathaleen A. (Gafney) Brennand. She grew up on the family dairy farm and attended eight grades at Boyd School. She was a graduate of Lourdes High School and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Mary received her Master of Arts in Library Science from UW-Milwaukee. Her first job during college was processing new books at the Oshkosh Public Library. She was employed at the Brookfield Public Library (1973-1983) and the Waukesha Public Library from 1983 until her retirement in 2009. She enjoyed her library work, and over the years developed experience in almost every department. As Head of Technical Services, she helped both libraries evolve from the “dark ages” of physical card catalogs to modern on-line databases.
She is survived by her sister, Eileen (Tom Polzin) Brennand of Oshkosh; two brothers, Michael (Teri) of Oshkosh and Patrick Brennand of Winneconne; a niece, Rhea Brennand; nephews, Scott (Sara Thuermer) Brennand and Joshua Brennand; great nieces, Evelyn Mueller and her father, Jon Mueller, McKenna Brennand and Aubrey Brennand; sister-in-law, Ellen Brennand; brother-in-law, Price Zimmerman; other relatives and many very dear friends. She was preceded in death by her father and mother; her aunt and uncle Mary Grace (Gafney) Vogt and Gerrie Vogt; her aunt and uncle Mary (Brennand) Pederson and Russell Pederson, her uncle, Bill Brennand; her brother, Tom; her sister, Kathaleen “Babe” (Brennand) Zimmerman; a nephew, Lee Brennand; and a niece, Sara (Brennand) Mueller. She was also preceded in death by her long time special friend, John W. “Bill” Espey of Memphis, TN. Mary loved baking and giving away cookies, pies, and her famous “Honey Nut Zucchini Bread”. She was the guardian of the family history. After cleaning out her parents' and aunt's houses, she became the repository for five generations of family photos and papers, which she spent years trying to organize and label. Mary had a lifelong interest in reading. She was usually reading or listening to 2 or 3 books at a time. Her love of travel started early, when her Aunt Mary Grace and Uncle Gerrie took her on road trips with them. When her father turned 80, they began a tradition of “Father-Daughter” trips around the US to visit relatives and his WW II army buddies, which continued until he was 96. Mary also loved the fine arts, attending and supporting many of the Milwaukee are theaters and museums.
Funeral services for Mary will be held on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 12 noon in the Fiss & Bills-Poklasny Funeral Home, 865 S. Westhaven Dr. in Oshkosh. Burial will follow in Riverside Catholic Cemetery. A time of visitation and support will be held for the family at the funeral home on Tuesday from 10 am until the time of service. Memorials to the Oshkosh Public Library or Waukesha Public Library in her name would be appreciated.
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