Brendan Gentile

Brendan is survived by his family, his wife, Stacey, his three children, Jordana, Hunter, and Jailyn, his father, Joseph, step mother, Frani, brothers, Joey, Charles, and Robert, his sister, Jennifer, step sister Elisa and his nieces and nephews.

Living so far away from his extended family, Brendan made sure to connect everyone he loved. He was always making posts on Facebook, writing about his family’s accomplishments, and always making a point to call his family and friends in Pennsylvania. Despite the distance, he made his family feel close to each other and made sure everyone had a role in each others’ lives. Truly, he was a family man at heart. One of his favorite things to do was cook for his wife and kids. He made them brunch on Sundays and special dinners with more food than they could eat.

His love for his wife, Stacey, was unrivaled. When they were dating, he made a point to drive to wherever she was, even if it was hours away, just so they could spend time together. He cooked whatever she asked for, usually seafood, and took her to restaurants he knew she’d enjoy. Most nights, you could find them watching a show or movie together until they fell asleep, simply enjoying something together. While at work, Brendan made a point to text her, even if the only thing he had time to send was a joke or picture. He would take her on special trips to the beach to take a walk and watch the sunset, take pictures, look for shells (Stacey’s favorite part of a beach trip), and simply enjoy each other’s company.

These trips, like most, were on a whim. Brendan was certainly one for spontaneity, even if it was simply a surprise where he would take his family for dinner. It wasn’t uncommon for him to tell his family to get in the car, and they would just drive. This always led them to wonderful adventures, the beach, a new restaurant, or something more rare, like when he took his family on a surprise trip to Solomon’s Castle, a tourist attraction off the beaten path. These were his favorite things, and he made a point to experience them with those he loved.

Brendan, also known as BJ to some friends, was always making a point to make people laugh. He loved to tell jokes or stories, often exaggerated for humor. He loved to reminisce about the past, whether that meant an old story with friends or his siblings, one of the dogs he had (and he did have many), one of the cars he loved (and, again, he had many), or his children when they were younger. He often told his kids these stories around the dinner table, sometimes sitting there for hours as they exchanged memories.

Brendan was a wonderful father, husband, and brother, but he was a great friend, too. He had more friends than he could count all over the country, some he’d known since childhood. He kept in contact with these people, still considering them family even after years of separation. And these friends loved him, too, making the trip down to Florida to see him, even if just for the weekend, or driving out to meet when he came to visit Pennsylvania. In these times, Brendan was still known to entertain, rarely, if ever, meeting them without a general plan to do something memorable. He may have rented a boat for a few hours, looked for somewhere to take them, or, if they stayed home, made a delicious seafood feast with lots of dishes to sample.

He loved so many aspects of life. These include the people to whom he spoke, strangers or lifelong relationships. He loved music, often reminiscing about the concerts to which he’d gone, or showing his kids songs he liked. Brendan could and would spend hours in record shops, simply exploring the selections. In addition, he was a car aficionado, pointing out cars on the street and naming their make, model, and year. More often than not, he’d give a lesson about the history of that car, explaining the nature of its creation. Brendan loved history, too, and was known to have conversations about certain historical occurrences. He loved playing with his dogs throughout his life, the latest being his family’s two dogs, Harley and Tikva, who loved to get affection from him, too.

To anyone who knew him, Brendan was a stubborn, yet caring man with a big heart and love to give. He will be missed by so many people all around the globe who have been touched by his great personality and care.

As Brendan’s favorite charity, any donations you’d like to make in his name can go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or another donation of your choice. For CHOP, you can use this link here: http://give.chop.edu/

A memorial/celebration of life will be held in December in Philadelphia. The date is still to be determined