Democratic leader recalled as 'a woman before her time'
For nearly 30 years, Joan Brennan served as Elk Grove Township Democratic committeeman, a post in which she worked tirelessly to help her party make inroads into the Republican stronghold in the Northwest suburbs.
Brennan served as the township's top Democrat from 1978 until she stepped down in 2007. In that role, the Elk Grove woman led precinct captains in getting out the vote in Elk Grove, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows and parts of Arlington Heights.
"She was a woman before her time," said Sam Amirante, a former Cook County circuit court judge, who ran for state Senate as a Democrat in 1984. "She was extremely active in getting out the vote. She was enthusiastic, energetic and fiercely independent."
Brennan died Sunday. She was 83.
Brennan grew up in Chicago in a family steeped in city politics. Her son, Tim Brennan of Arlington Heights, says his great-grandmother Rosie Altier was the first female precinct captain in the city of Chicago.
"Politics was a way of life in my family," Brennan said. "I don't ever remember a time when we weren't out gathering signatures for candidates' petitions and out putting up signs. That's just what we did."
Brennan entered local politics in 1975, when she was elected to the Elk Grove Park District board. Three years later, she entered partisan politics and ran for committeeman, defeating attorney Don Rose.
It would be the first of seven races she ran, all of them contested, her son recalls.
"She was fiery," he added. "She never backed down from competition."
Sue Walton, former Palatine Township Democratic Committeeman, remembers Brennan as an active member of the wider Cook County Democratic Party, even serving as vice president of the party under former longtime chairman George Dunne.
"She was fiercely partisan and very loyal to the Democratic Party," Walton said.
Brennan's son-in-law, Tony Petrillo, manager of Arlington Park, points to some of Chicago's top officials as being Brennan's colleagues, from Alderman Edward Burke and former Cook County Board President John Stroger to Mayor Richard M. Daley.
In her prominent role among county Democrats, Brennan attended many Democratic national conventions, and attended the 1997 inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
She remained true to the Clintons and proudly served as a Hillary Clinton delegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Current Elk Grove Township Democratic Committeeman Ted Mason said Brennan left the local party in a strong position.
"She kept the organization strong and moving forward," Mason said. "She left it in good shape."
Besides her son, Brennan is survived by her daughter, Sally (Tony) Petrillo, as well as 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will take place at 10 a.m. today until the start of an 11:30 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Julian Eymard Church, 801 Biesterfield Road in Elk Grove Village.