FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 9, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 39
vschneps@gmail.com
It’s a roller coaster life that I
lead and with the world at
“war,” it’s been the roughest
ride like no other.
For me, both professionally
and personally, the loss of our
COO Bob Brennan to a heart
attack shook me, my staff , Bob’s
family and friends to our core.
With our upside down world,
we couldn’t say goodbye to
him in the traditional way
with a wake and funeral,
and we all craved the
need to pay tribute to
a man who impacted
us all so profoundly.
We needed to
celebrate his life.
His family felt
the same way
as my staff and
one had a Zoom
session, the other
a teleconference.
Although there
were many tears
shed, there were
smiles and even
laughter. So many
memories were shared
about the lessons in life and
business that Bob taught us all.
I wanted to share with you all
some of the comments from the
hours of “virtual sharing” of our
lives with Bob.
His robust, successful family of
great achievers all agreed he was
their “Blue Ribbon Brennan” as
a “middle child” in a family of
10 children. He was an organizer
and businessman since his
childhood.
Bob’s siblings recalled that in
his teenage years, he started a
distribution route selling the
Long Island Press through a network
of his friends and family.
His father fi gured it was the best
way to stay out of trouble. I loved
the story of his sister Terry telling
us how he allowed her to be
a “newsboy,” but she was under
orders to hide her hair under
her cap. She got away with it
and became one of 1,000 kids he
trained and oversaw!
At 18 years of age, Bob created,
led and organized his family’s
Th anksgiving football tournament.
His sister recalled that
he would arrive at the crack of
dawn at her Sag Harbor home
to set up the game and prepare
his roster, bringing with
him custom-made T-shirts and
caps. Th e tradition continued all
these years, and hopefully one of
his sons will carry it on.
I knew of his passion to ski and
I worried each time he did that
he should come back whole. Th e
family shared how he was a master
teacher and tormenter, pushing
each of them to be better and
tougher on the slopes. His favorite
expression to them was “you
can do this!”
A passionate man who had a
lust for life, he cherished every
minute on the slopes and his
brother sweetly recalled how
Bob took the time to teach his
kids, Matt and Michael, and
then his 21 nieces and nephews
how to ski with their fi rst lesson:
learning how to fall!
He challenged himself and his
siblings to be the best at what
they did with his mantra, “Be
better, do better.” He did the
same for our Schneps Media
staff , too. For 20 years Schneps
Media has run events, and Bob
Bob with his sons Matt and Mike.
was the leader of that division.
Th ere was not a selfi sh bone
in his body. He was always
competitive, challenging and
teaching our staff and his brothers
and sisters to be winners.
He was a positive force of
nature, teaching us all to see
the good in people and to live
a life of joy. He gave that advice
to his siblings and our staff
members, both recalled during
our memorial calls.
A great day was a day of learning
something new and Bob
was a master teacher. Th e message
from all those whose life he
touched — family and colleagues
— was the same: “Because of
Bob, I see further, because I sat
on the shoulders of a giant.”
We all agreed at the memorial
calls that he went out too soon,
only 68, but was at the top of
his game and a real champion to
and for us. He was remembered
as a “grand slam” person who
touched our lives and we all are
now his legacy.
He made us better for his
being. May he rest in peace. We
will remember him well.
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
I remember him well
Bob with Ralph D’Onofrio at our staff award ceremony.
I think of Bob when I look at this tree with a
strong trunk and dozens of limbs.
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