Brendan was born on May 12th, 1984 in Buffalo, New York, ecstatically welcomed by his parents, Arthur (Bud) and Anne on the day before Mother’s Day. Brendan became the proud, responsible, and protective brother of twin sisters, Brighid and Tara, and with his family of five happily grew up in Clarence, NY. His childhood days were spent with his close, extended family, neighborhood playmates, classmates, and teammates.
He attended Clarence Central Schools; in High School, Latin, Mathematics, and English were his primary interests while playing football and basketball were his passions. Brendan went on to play football at Union College (Schenectady, NY); he was the big guy who played nose tackle, his team, the Union Dutchmen, made the NCAA playoffs in 2005 and 2006. He received the James Kochan Lineman Award in 2006, and was 1st team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (2005, 2006). He achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Classics) with a minor in Mathematics in 2006. Following completion of his undergraduate degree, he went on to graduate school at Union College where he received a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and International Business in 2008.
With his degrees complete, Brendan entered the professional world, which he would reflect upon as the true part of his education. Initially, he worked for the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee as an Economist, where he had the daunting task of balancing the NYS budget. After a couple of years, he returned to Buffalo, NY working as a Forecasting Analyst for Fisher-Price which was the springboard for his career in the toy industry. Mattel Inc. offered him a promotion as a Senior Forecasting Analyst and off he went to Los Angeles, California on the next step in his journey. Two years later, Brendan decided to make a career shift and move to the corporate world of Sales and Business Development. Using his formidable skills in predicting trends, creating strong connections and his intuitive knowledge of the business landscape, Brendan relocated to Bentonville, Arkansas with the aim of being an integral part of Mattel's biggest account - Walmart. His tenacious and charming spirit made this challenge all the more exciting for him. Brendan embraced life in Arkansas, finding beauty in the mountains and lakes, entertainment in the extensive music venues, interest in the local artwork, and most importantly connection with all the people. He was always giving back to the community, lending his coaching skills to a little league football team. Thanks to his vast knowledge, physical dexterity, size, strength, and humorous personality, he quickly became a role model to the younger players. He was always taken aback when they addressed him respectfully with a "Sir"!
Brendan was a rare soul who loved people; he had a huge heart. He cared about creating purposeful experiences, making people feel welcome as their most authentic selves and building families wherever he went. After working for Mattel for 8 years, he continued his love of all things toys and children's expression with MGA Entertainment, where he was most recently a Vice President of Sales. With his vivid imagination and remarkable story-building skills, Brendan would compare himself to Santa Claus, even dressing as the big guy himself at children’s charity events. He was especially proud of his volunteer work at the NW Arkansas Children’s Shelter, and truly felt he gained much more from the experience than he was able to give back. Brendan was a pro at keeping the children enthralled with his renditions of Christmas classics. He would croon "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from beginning to end, and spout lines from The Grinch, such as “Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” Buddy the Elf was also a favorite; Brendan could quote lines without missing a beat: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.”
In addition to loving his career in the toy industry, Brendan had numerous and varied interests and passions that evolved over time.
He was always experimenting with different looks, from clothing to accessories. His style was constantly evolving and growing. He loved sneakers, specifically Jordans and Vans. His Jordan collection was bountiful and included more than 100 pairs. He was known to change his shoelaces and socks to match the rest of his clothing, and every ensemble was completed with a pair of the coolest sunglasses!
Brendan was a voracious reader, even as a young child, he read all types of genres. His capacity for memorization and recall of facts was astounding, but even more impressive was his ability to put them together in a way that was both informed and eloquent. He spoke with such grace and care, tailoring his words to the audience to ensure that even the most difficult topics were approachable and relatable. A discussion or debate with him always included facts, figures, intent, backstories, places, and historical significance, and if there happened to be something in question, he would not let it go and research until he knew everything about it. As a lifelong learner, Brendan never stopped feeding his insatiable curiosity.
Home projects were part of Brendan’s weekly endeavors. He had an array of tools and projects that required a run to Home Depot for more; however, despite his good intentions, his lack of patience for getting something accomplished slowly and correctly typically resulted in the “quick fix,” which required his Dad to redo said projects during his parent’s bimonthly visits to Arkansas. Although his enthusiasm for his projects typically discouraged most people from critiquing his techniques, he was equally excited and grateful for his Dad’s skill at perfecting his work!
Brendan found music to be essential to his life from a young age. Music was a lifeblood to him; one of his favorite passions, and he loved all genres of music from jazz, blues, rock, pop, country, rap, etc. Knowing the story behind every artist was equally important as knowing the music. He felt music expressed emotions and ideas in a way that was more powerful than words ever could. Music was unique and raw, because, like life, it was created with the purest form of expression, humanity, and connection. He loved introducing new music to others or captivating them with complex backstories of musical legends. Even his own Mom became a fan of Snoop Dogg and read Gucci Mane's life story given Brendan’s prodding. No matter what he did: music was at the center of it all. And if you ever had the pleasure of driving in the car with Brendan, the main object was not driving, but getting the right music to play, it had to be loud, and you had to be singing along with him.
In more recent years, Brendan developed a keen appreciation of art showcased by his eclectic collection at home. He honed his talent as an interior decorator by visiting furniture stores, gift shops, flea markets, and museums. His acquired artwork decorated his home from floor to ceiling and he constantly rearranged his art and furniture to create a “new” look. Besides paintings, he loved to embellish his home with nontraditional lighting, small sculptures, candles, and flowers. He also wasn’t shy about giving his opinion to friends regarding their decorating style, and with or without their permission, he would amazingly rework their design until he thought it was perfect.
Brendan had a tremendous love of animals (and Greek mythology). He rescued a pitbull and named her Artemis, the goddess of wild animals and the hunt. Artemis proved to be the sweetest and most intuitive dog providing companionship and love to a man who lived alone. To add to the equation and give Artemis company, Brendan recently added a Bully XL puppy to his family and named him Apollo (Artemis and Apollo were the twins born of Zeus). The puppy didn’t respond to the name so Apollo became Gunner (his original puppy name). Brendan loved his dogs; they were his babies, his snuggle buddies, and he would spoil them with treats and toys.
Brendan had a personality that filled a room; friends described him as a goofy, fun-loving genius with a huge heart; a gentle, ginger giant. He could often be found at family gatherings, laughing with his cousins or spinning tales from fishing trips with his dad, cousin, uncles, and his beloved Poppy. From summers spent in Canada, to beach trips to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Maine, and an unforgettable journey to Ireland, his love of his family was evident. As a beloved “Uncle Brendan” to many of his friends’ children, he was always ready for an adventure—a spontaneous shopping trip, a sporting event, or even a heart-to-heart talk about the future.
He encouraged others to do their best, believing that success and happiness lie in helping those around you. His hilarious wit and infectious passion for life touched everyone he met, creating lasting friendships that endured throughout his life. To be loved by Brendan was to be showered with a love so immense and unconditional that it was impossible not to love him back. When he looked at you, he saw your heart and the infinite possibilities of what could be. He saw your light and brilliance and used it as his own source of inspiration. To be loved by him was a blessing, a gift. He leaves a trail of deep love, invaluable inspiration, unmatched mentorship, and infectious joy. He will be forever missed, forever remembered, and forever channeled in spirit. We love you endlessly, Brendan James!
Brendan was the precious son of Arthur W. and Anne F. Crumlish (nee Patterson); most loved brother of Brighid A. Crumlish (Samuel Lee) and Tara A. Crumlish (Karl Heino); adored grandson of the late Homer F. and Anna Marie Patterson and Richard J. and Martha J. Crumlish; dear nephew of Kathryn and Richard Gessert, Mary and Michael Finn, Robert Patterson and Cydney Kelly, Mary Lou Patterson, the late Gerald Patterson, and William and Caroline Crumlish; also survived by loving cousins and their children, many many devoted friends, and his two sweet fur babies, Artemis and Gunner.
Family and friends may visit DENGLER, ROBERTS, PERNA FUNERAL HOME, 8630 Transit Rd., East Amherst, NY 14051 on Friday (February 10, 2023) from 4-8pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Gregory the Great Church, 200 St. Gregory Ct., Williamsville, NY 14221 on Saturday (February 11, 2023) at 12noon. Please assemble at church.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Brendan's memory may be made to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, where Brendan served on the Board and helped positively impact children's lives. https://nwacs.org/donate.
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