Anne Searls Brennan - Obituary

nne Searls Brennan died peacefully in her sleep on May 13, 2019, in Annapolis, MD. Anne was born on May 22, 1928, in Madison, WI to the late Edward M. and Anna Mary Haughey Searls, the second of six children. Anne received her BA from Milwaukee State Teachers College and taught elementary school full time for several years. She married James Girard Brennan in 1951 and moved with him to Washington, DC where he was newly hired to teach physics at Catholic University. They remained there until his death in 2002. For twenty-five years she was a full-time mother and homemaker, raising her five children. She loved to entertain and made her house a place of social gathering for members of the Catholic University faculty and all the neighborhood children. As her house emptied of children, Anne devoted herself increasingly to a new career as a wine consultant, working for Rex Wine and Spirits and other wine stores in Washington. She threw herself into this new life, spending a semester learning Oenology at U.C. Davis and short internships at European vineyards. She was able to share her love of food, wine and entertaining with many grateful customers. She retired to Tucson, AZ but, when her health became more fragile, moved to the retirement community of Ginger Cove in Annapolis, MD. In addition to her parents and her husband, Anne was preceded in death by her siblings, Eileen, Robert, and James. She is survived by her children, Thomas, Sean, Kathleen, James, and Tad; her siblings, Edward Searls and Sheila Amacker, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, 28 June at 9 am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 Bestgate Rd., Annapolis, MD. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to National Public Radio (npr.org) or the Heifer Project (heifer.org)Condolences may be made by clicking the Memory Wall link on this page.