Marjorie Brennan, of Knoxville, TN

Marjorie (Marge) Grace Leak Brennan, born May 8, 1928, passed away peacefully at LifeCare Center of Morgan County in Wartburg Saturday, May 6, 2023. 

Marge was born in Lamar, Mississippi, and was the oldest of 5 children born to Kenneth & Nina Leak.  As a young girl, she went to live with her Uncle Joe & Aunt Grace Leak Bass who lived nearby.  She lovingly called them Joeby and Dacie.  It was at the small church in Lamar where Joeby was a deacon and Dacie was the church pianist that Marge professed Christ as her Savior.  She attended high school in Grand Junction, Tennessee, driving her siblings and friends across the TN/MS state line to school.  She met her future husband Bill while attending college at Southwestern at Memphis (now known as Rhodes College).  She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1949.

Marge was a housewife and became an accomplished seamstress sewing all of her clothes as well as those for her daughters, Judy and Grace.  Her love of sewing was also displayed in the custom draperies, curtains, and throw pillows she crafted for her home.  She loved flowers and hosted a monthly garden club at her home and maintained a beautiful flower garden for many years.  Her family lived in various cities in Tennessee following Bill’s work with Standard Oil, but she kept her love for East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee.

Marge enjoyed family activities and was active in church at West Hills Presbyterian Church in Knoxville.  She and her husband Bill were frequent chaperones for youth trips and activities, and she worked with Vacation Bible School for many years.  She enjoyed time spent with her family on vacations to the beach and on their boat, even learning to water ski, despite the fact that she did not know how to swim! 

After her children graduated from high school, Marge entered the work force, becoming a successful real estate agent.  She worked with real estate agencies in Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis during the next 25 years and earned numerous awards for her salesmanship.  She and Bill returned to Farragut, Tennessee, and the hills of East Tennessee when they retired.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 57 years, William (Bill) Brennan; daughter, Grace Brennan; grand-daughter Jennifer Grace Cross; parents, Kenneth D. Leak & Nina Treadwell Leak; 2 sisters, Frances Leak and Alice Leak, and 2 brothers, Kenneth Leak, Jr., and Robert (Bobby) Leak. 

She is survived by her daughter Judy Cross and husband Royce; grandsons Bryan Cross and wife Amanda in Oakdale, Kevin Cross and wife Amanda in Nashville, Michael Cross and wife Amanda in Mossy Grove; four great-grandchildren:  Tyler, Kaylin, Sadie, and Mason Cross; and numerous Leak relatives from her home state of Mississippi.

The family will receive friends Thursday, May 11, from 11 am to 12 noon at Schubert Funeral Home in Wartburg with the funeral to follow at 12:00 p.m. with Rev. Jim Disney officiating.

The family would like to thank the staff at LifeCare Center of Morgan County for their compassionate, loving care for Marge during her time there and the staff of Adoration Hospice for their care and support as Marge’s health declined.