Richard I. Brenner was born on July 1, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Brenner. His home of record is Teaneck, NJ. He had one brother, Irving, and a sister, Sandra. Originally from Bensonhurst, NY, the family moved to Teaneck in the mid-1960s. He was a shot put star in high school. Richard graduated from Teaneck High School in 1965 and continued his education at Northland College in Wisconsin until he went into the service.
I attended college with Richie Brenner at Northland College in Ashland Wisconsin. He had an infectious smile and a hearty laugh to go with it and was a pretty fair pool player. I recall one Christmas we carpooled to New York and we were on the PA Turnpike in a driving snow storm when he howled out in his best Jersey voice, “OO, OO OOO look at dat!!” startling all of us. We said look at WHAT Richie? He said I just saw the ugliest kid I ever saw. We had to see this and slowed down to see the car we’d just passed and this kid he was all crazy about. It turned out to be a big German Sheppard slobbering in the back seat….. you could always count on Richie to keep things lively.
I said hi to him again this afternoon at the Vietnam Moving Wall which is visiting nearby. We established a Veterans Memorial Scholarship fund at Northland in his memory and that of four other alumni who gave up their tomorrows for our todays. RIP Richie. – Remembrance left on the VVMF by “Deke”
Brenner served in the US Army and attained the rank of Corporal (CPL).
Brenner was killed in action on April 13, 1969.
Sources: Kathy Polyard (friend), Teaneck High School, newspaper clippings and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024