Iron River obituary: James R. Brennan III honored with military rites

James R. Brennan III’s death at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain connects his passing to the same veteran network that has long shaped Iron River and the surrounding county. Brennan, 88, died Friday, May 15, and his funeral plans now bring family, friends and fellow veterans into the center of that local tradition.

Visitation is set for Wednesday, May 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Jacobs Funeral Home of Iron River. Funeral services will follow Thursday, May 28, at 11 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church, with Rev. Mark McQuesten officiating. Brennan will be interred at Resthaven Cemetery, where the West Side Veterans will accord military rites at the graveside.

Brennan was born Feb. 21, 1938, in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of the late James and Virginia Brennan. He graduated from Isaac Litton High School in 1956, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and later completed an MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. He served in the U.S. Navy on destroyers and submarines and liked to recount his experiences during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

After his military service, Brennan worked in manufacturing with a focus on international joint ventures. He married Margee on Aug. 7, 1965, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Stambaugh, and the couple marked their 60th wedding anniversary in 2025. He was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Iron County Golden K and American Legion Post 21.

Brennan also had a long civic record in Iron County. He served as an Iron County Commissioner, sat on the Iron County Museum Endowment Board and was a founder of Friends of Camp Batawagama. The family is asking that memorial donations be made to the Bates Hall Preservation Society or Friends of Camp Batawagama.

He is survived by Margee; son Jim and Lisa Brennan of Minneapolis; daughters Kelly Brennan of Iron River and Courtney Dixon and Grant Dixon of Kansas City, Missouri; five grandchildren; and several in-laws and extended family members. He was preceded in death by his sister, Marilyn Cotter; sister-in-law, Diane Stewart; and brother-in-law, Don Johnson.