GUILDERLAND — Mary Louisa Shear Brennan — wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and volunteer — died on Wednesday morning, Aug. 16, 2017, after celebrating her 87th birthday and 64th wedding anniversary, and surrounded by her family for several days.

She was born Aug. 8, 1930 to Grace (née Creekpaum) and Elmer V. Shear in Hood River, Oregon, where her father, a plant pathologist, was sent by the United States Department of Agriculture to address a pear blight.

When Mrs. Brennan was 8, her family moved to Maryland as a result of the USDA transferring her father back to headquarters in Washington, D.C.  They then moved to Pelham, New York, and, finally, to Coeymans Hollow in Albany County where the family operated a commercial apple orchard, Shear Farm.

Mrs. Brennan attended the Albany Academy for Girls, graduating in 1948, and then followed in her father’s footsteps to attend Cornell University, enrolled in the College of Human Ecology, graduating in 1952.  While at Cornell, she met the man who would become her husband, John “Jack” J. Brennan, who also graduated from Cornell in 1952, with a degree in veterinary medicine.

They were married in 1953. After a short stint in Selma, Alabama managing a school cafeteria while her husband was a lieutenant in the United States Air Force, the Brennans returned to the Northeast, settling in Guilderland.

Mrs. Brennan “supported her husband in starting a veterinary practice, handling the operational side while Jack handled the cows, horses, dogs, and cats.,” her family wrote in a tribute. “Also at this time, Mary found time to raise three loving, successful children, whom she adored”:  Peter, John, and Mary Ann.

“Mary Ann and Mary shared the same birthday of August 8th, which they both so enjoyed,” her family wrote. “Once her children were raised, she applied her motherly skills to her grandchildren, being “Moogra” or “Grammoo” (reflecting her love of cows)...reading them Dr. Seuss’s ‘Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose,’ among other favorites.”

Mrs. Brennan also became very involved in numerous civic and volunteer activities, including volunteering at the Guilderland High School guidance office, being a member of the town of Guilderland Environmental Committee, chairing the local 4-H club (Fuller’s Follies), being a stalwart member of the Thursday Group nature excursion troop, and co-authoring with Claire Schmidt (a Thursday Group member) “A Guide to the Natural Areas of Albany County.”

“In later years she delighted in leading tours of the many historical and natural sights of the Albany area she so loved,” her family wrote. “Additionally, she and Jack were fortunate enough to enjoy a camp on Upper Saranac Lake, and Mary got involved in the Essex County Garden club and many, many other endeavors around the lake.”

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In addition to her husband, John “Jack” J. Brennan, Mary Louisa Shear Brennan is survived by her three children, Peter T. Brennan, M.D. and his wife, Elizabeth; John P. Brennan and his wife, Jean; and Mary Ann Randall, C.R.N.A. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Tom, Mike, Joe, Patrick, Kathleen, and Julia Grace.

“We wish to thank all the many people who helped Mary and her family through her battle with Alzheimer’s, including Hospice and Eddy Village at Beverwyck Care Center.” her family wrote.

Funeral services and interment are private. A celebration of life will be held later this fall.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Nature Conservancy, Adirondack Chapter, Post Office Box 65, Keene Valley, NY 12983; to the Cornell University School of Human Ecology, Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, #170, Ithaca, NY 14850; or to Planned Parenthood, 1040 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12307-1508.