Joseph "Joe" Brennan, who had served on the SeaTac City Council since the city incorporated in 1989, died at his home on Oct. 14 after battling a long-term illness.

Mr. Brennan helped lead SeaTac's incorporation drive.

His fellow lawmakers twice elected him mayor. He also served two terms as deputy mayor.

Terry Anderson, now the only remaining original council member, remembers "Joe's humor really kept us going" during the incorporation effort.

His ties with the King County fire department and sheriff's office made the push for incorporation a lot easier than it could have been, according to Anderson.

Frank Hansen served many terms with Brennan on the council.

"Joe was stubborn," Hansen chuckles. ""We used to go around and around about things.

"Joe shouldn't have been a politician because he led with his heart. He had a heart of gold."

Hansen, known as a budget hawk, used to argue with Mr. Brennan about expenditures for firefighters and fire services. Mr. Brennan had been a volunteer King County District 24 firefighter and emergency medical technician for 13 years. He was fire commissioner for 11 years and served as commission chairman for seven years.

For lawmakers who joined the council more recently, Mr. Brennan "was a mentor to all of us," according to Mayor Ralph Shape.

"He was the most experienced, he remembered everything, and we learned a lot," Shape added.

The current mayor remembers Mr. Brennan as a strong advocate for not only fire services but a splash park for kids at Valley Ridge Park and the senior center expansion at North SeaTac Park.

"He could be argumentative but, in the end, he always had the best interests of the city in mind," Shape added. "He was very supportive of the city."

Mr. Brennan was known for asking "Can I tell a joke now?" when asked for remarks at the end of council meetings.

"We appreciated his stories,' Shape noted.

Mr. Brennan was born Dec. 21, 1932 in Chicago.

He served in the U.S. Navy on the USS Brannon and met Betty Geise at the Tacoma USO.

They married in 1954 and raised five children. They have seven grandchildren.

Hansen calls Betty, "the mother of the city" for her efforts with her husband and others to incorporate the city.

"They were extremely close. She's a real angel," Hansen said. "He really loved his wife and I really admired him for it."

Mr. Brennan graduated from the University of Washington in 1960 with a bachelor of arts in business.

He began his career in medical sales and later became a certified dependency counselor at Schick Shadel Hospital in Burien.

Mr. Brennan and his wife were very active in SeaTac schools, including Madrona Elementary, Chinook Middle, Tyee High School and Madrona Community Schools. He was given the Golden Acorn Award for his work at Chinook, including organizing dances for 13 years.

Mr. Brennan was a member of the original Highline Medic One board and the Washington State Commissioners board. He also served on the Christian Faith Center school board.

Mr. Brennan battled serious illnesses for many years.

"No matter how sick he was, he made a great effort to attend the council meetings," Anderson recalls. "After major surgeries, he would come out smiling."

A Funeral Mass was held at St. Philomena Catholic Church in Des Moines on Oct. 18.

Mr. Brennan was buried at Washington Memorial Park Bonney-Watson in SeaTac.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the University of Washington Medical Center Transplant Program or the American Cancer Society.

(What Eric Mathison knows about Joe Brennan after covering SeaTac for eight years. Click on Columnists)