NEW SCOTLAND — Mary Louise “Mary Lou” Brennan, a compassionate caregiver, died peacefully on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center after a long illness. She was 81.

“She left on her next journey, surrounded by family and loving, compassionate caregivers,” her family wrote in a tribute.

Born on Jan, 7, 1942, in Hanover, New Hampshire, she was the daughter of the late Fredrick Blake Howes and Mary Attila Grace Faucher Howes of Woodstock, Vermont.

“Mary Lou, ‘Snookie,’ ‘ML,’ ‘MLB’ and ‘Mena,’” her family wrote, “enjoyed the blessings and gifts of raising three daughters with her husband of 59 years, James Michael ‘Mike’ Brennan, in yet other small-town communities of Voorheesville, New Scotland, and Slingerlands.

“Upon high school graduation in Woodstock, Vermont, Mary Lou continued her education at Boston Children’s Hospital School of Nursing and Simmons College. After receiving her degree, as a registered nurse, she shared her innate gifts with all as a compassionate caregiver. Mary Lou spent the majority of her professional career at Albany Medical Center as a female oncology R.N.

“Mena gifted us all, including her daughters, Courtney Brennan, Heather Brennan (Jen), and Megan Johnson (Ted). She was cherished and loved by five grandchildren, James Nathan, Julian Rhys, Olivia, Parker, and Hadley.”

A memorial Mass will be held in St. Matthew’s Church in Voorheesville on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m. The Brennan family invites all to celebrate Mary Lou’s life at the Albany Country Club in Voorheesville immediately following her service at St. Matthew’s Church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Family Promise of the Capital Region, 738 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208 or at https://www.familypromisecr.org, or to The Community Hospice Foundation, 310 S. Manning Blvd., Albany, NY, 12208 or at https://www.communityhospice.org.