John James Thompson-Brennan

On September 4th, 2023, John James Thompson-Brennan of Raleigh NC rode off into the sunset, just one day short of his 20th birthday.

It is with a heavy heart his mom and siblings have to write this obituary. But in order to be true to Johnny we need to include his humor and laughter. Anyone who knew John knew he lived his life full throttle with never a fear or worry and he died doing what he loved.

He is survived by his mother, Linda Thompson-Brennan of Raleigh, NC; father, John Brennan of Richmond, RI; twin sister, Emma; big sister, Leah; brother, James, all of Raleigh, NC; and paternal grandmother, Beverly Brennan of Pensacola, FL. He was predeceased by both his maternal grandparents, Londa and James Thompson; and his paternal grandfather, John M. “Poppa” Brennan. As well as his best bud and companion, his dog Rudy, who also lived her life at full speed. He will be missed by our family dog, Sugar Louise, who still stops and waits for him to come around the corner when she hears a motorcycle.

He was a beloved brother, son, nephew, cousin, and friend to many. He was the type of friend that would be there in a heartbeat if you called; and the kind of person to help push a broken-down car out of the road. He was a very private person with an incredible sense of humor; the type of son to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. He talked about his future often and looked forward to raising his own family someday. He wanted 5 or 6 kids and was excited to one day be a dad.

John has always enjoyed the outdoors and learned to fish at a young age. All family vacations included at least three fishing rods, two trips to Cabela’s, and at least one unmarked hiking trail to find a pond to fish in. But Johnny’s true passion was his motorcycle, he spent countless hours in the garage taking apart and rebuilding his motorcycles. He would come home from work, grab a dinner plate, and spend the rest of the night in the garage working on his bike. We were, and still are, and will always be proud of him, but we all knew he drove too fast. On the morning of his last ride, I asked him to slow down and be safe he smiled and said, “Mom if I ever die on my bike you’ll know I died doing something I love, love ya” and walked out the door.

He was known as JT to work colleagues, Johnny to his siblings, and John James when he was in trouble. He has worked many types of jobs over the years and was always looking for a new challenge. He was self-taught and could fix anything; our handyman around the house with a 3–6-month turnaround time. He was not afraid to take something apart to learn how it worked. His mom was very grateful that he learned how to put things back together as he got older.

He will be missed by the FedEx, UPS, and Amazon drivers, who made almost daily deliveries of parts and tools for his motorcycle. He has left behind a hell of a lot of stuff his mom and siblings have no idea what to do with. So, if you’re looking for motorcycle parts or specialty tools only John knew what you use them for, you should wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch.

There will be no funeral service or calling hours. The family will be planning a celebration of his life at a future date. The family asks if you could sign the condolence book and share your memories with us, as these memories are what hold us up and keep his memory alive.

John, Johnny, or JT, whomever you knew him as would not want us to mourn his death but to celebrate his life. To know him was to truly love him. Tell your siblings you love them, give them an extra hug, and never stay mad at them for too long. He is and will be missed by many.

Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Garner. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com