Jeffrey Alex Bremner

May 25 1954  - Jan. 20 2025
It will sadden greatly all who knew him, to read this: on January 20, Jeffrey Alex Bremner passed away after a titanic battle with more ailments than space allows to list. For many years, he showed us all what it is to fight for one’s life. He drew amazing strength from his family, his friends, his dogs, and his heritage.
Jeff was born in Boston, on May 25, 1954, to, & pre-deceased by, Francis A. & Marion (Long) Bremner. Marion was a life-long Chatham resident, & she instilled in Jeff a sense of pride and responsibility in being so. An extremely shy youngster, he found a circle of friends with similar interests, these being turning VW bugs into dune buggies (he owned approx. 100 in high school!) These friends were off to North Beach before the school bell stopped ringing, and  someone who wasn’t there could never know the camaraderie of the good folks who welcomed/tolerated them. In the 68 years I knew Jeff, I believe he was the happiest he ever was, going “down the beach”, first in a VW buggy, and later in any one of the dozens of vehicles he cobbled together, such as his beloved maybe ‘65 Suburban, which neither time nor tide could defeat.
One of Jeff’s first jobs was at Dan Meservey’s Mobil Service Station in W Chatham, assisted by the inimitable Bill “Huntz” Hafker, whose mechanical abilities always gave Jeff more work! He later worked for Cliff Milley Trash Removal, where he got a crash course in daily truck repair, along with many “treasures”, some of which he still has, and which gave him comfort & a reason to smile in his darker days. He “graduated” to working at the Chatham Landfill Station, back when that’s what it was, eventually being in charge. He started the recycling program, fighting those who considered it to be “hippie nonsense” (you know who you are!). Jeff retired after 27 years of service to the town of Chatham, and got a nice plaque. After retiring, Jeff assisted 2 friends in their storage locker buying business, which yielded many more “treasures”
Over the course of Jeff’s life, many dear friends passed away too soon. He never forgot them; telling Stu Calder stories always got him laughing, and if you ever heard Jeff’s laughter, you heard the sweetest sound ever.
Jeff is greatly missed by his niece Heather Day, her husband Keith Prodgers and their children; Finnegan, Meara, & Rose; his niece Kimberly Day of Maryland, and nephew Nick Day of California. He is also survived by his sister Holly Pester and her husband Bruce, of Vermont, as well as many cousins.
Jeff was lovingly supported in his “golden years’, by wonderful friendships with dear friends such as Herbie Bassett, Dave Larrabee, Dave Waite, Kevin Rodericks, Sharon Holly, Jody Ellis, Dave Olson, his Aussie “BubbleButt”, and the gratitude of everyone at his favorite restaurants. Special mention and thanks go out to the owners and crew of Red River Barbecue, who loved to see him come in, asked after him when he couldn’t, and put much love into his favorite dinner, the Smashburger!
At a mutual friend’s memorial service, which Jeff did not want, we heard the preacher say “I did not know this man in life, but I know some of you here today. If you loved him, I do too. I have his years of birth and death here; what matters today is the hyphen in between.” The hyphen that was Jeff’s life was full of love, laughter, & adventure, and that, nobody can deny!
It has been said: “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” Godspeed & fair winds, ol’ pal. A truer friend no man has ever had. You, sir, will not be forgotten.
A gathering of remembrance is contemplated in Springtime.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Jeff’s memory can be made at supportwoundedwarriorsproject.org