Peter J. McBrien Sr.

Peter J. McBrien, Sr., 80, of Burlington CT and South Kingstown, RI, beloved husband of JoAnn (Balon) McBrien, passed away on Monday, July 6, 2020, at South County Hospital in Wakefield, RI, with family by his side. Peter was born in Hartford, CT on October 5, 1939, and was the son of the late John A. & Dorothy (Goodfield) McBrien. He was raised in Forestville, CT with his two brothers and many cousins. He graduated from Bristol High School in 1957, attended Hillyer College (now University of Hartford) and the Hartford Institute of Accounting before joining the U.S. Air Force Air National Guard. He started his career with Stanley Works in New Britain, CT and it was during that time when he met his wife JoAnn. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sargent from the Air National Guard in 1963 and then he and JoAnn were married in 1964. They initially settled in Bristol, CT and lived in Delran, NJ and Roswell, GA, before returning to CT and spending the last 41 years in Burlington. He was a communicant of both St. Mary Star of the Sea in Unionville, CT and St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown, RI. Peter enjoyed a long career in Information Technology with various firms and his responsibilities ranged from project management and consulting to senior leadership. In addition, he designed a successful curriculum in computer processing for the former CT-based Computer Processing Institute in the early 1980s. He ultimately retired from IBM in 2003. When Peter moved to Burlington in 1979, he became involved with youth sports, particularly soccer, and quickly recognized a need for an organized program. Along with five others, he developed a proposal to create a town-wide soccer program and the Burlington Junior Soccer Association (BJSA) was born. He served as the first President of this Association and coached various teams. The BJSA remains in existence today, serving youths beginning at the kindergarten grade level, and feeds talent to the Region 10 Middle & High Schools. He was also an alternate on the Burlington Planning and Zoning Commission and a designated representative to the Central CT Regional Planning Agency. Peter became a part-time resident of South Kingstown, RI in 1999 as part of the Mautucket by the Sea Beach Association. He served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Association. He loved being in RI, spending countless weekends and summer holidays with his family on the beach. Peter was a sports fan ranging from his days playing tennis and golf to watching football, tennis, golf, and college basketball on a regular basis. Of course, his favorite sports pastime was watching and supporting his children and then his grandchildren – a consummate bleacher fan! In recent years, Peter was employed by Shop-Rite in Canton, CT and loved being with the customers while establishing many friendships with fellow retirees and younger folks – this experience meant the world to him. In addition to his wife, JoAnn, Peter is survived by his three children: Patricia Hannon (Matthew) of Burlington, Peter J. McBrien, Jr. of Torrington, and Pamela Lynch (Matthew) of Simsbury; a brother, Robert (Catherine) of Salisbury, MD; an aunt, Lillian Anderson of Avon and several nieces and nephews. Most notably, he was Papa to his six grandchildren whom he loved dearly: Alison, Margaret, Seamus, Madison, Garrett, and Collin. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, John, and his nephew, Steven Joseph. Peter will be remembered as a quiet and humble man, who deeply loved his Family, God, and Country. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, July 23, 2020 at 10 AM at St. Mary Star of the Sea, 145 Main Street, Unionville, CT. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, in Bristol, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Nassahegan Eagle Scout Flag Project, 5 Merriman Drive, Burlington, CT 06013 or to Foodshare, 450 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002. Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, is honored to serve the McBrien family. Please visit Peter’s memorial web-site at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.

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