Brian Patrick Holleran

August 30, 1942 - July 2, 2026

Dr. Brian Patrick Holleran, of Oneonta, NY and Sarasota, FL passed away peacefully on July 2, 2026 while a resident at Bridges Memory Care in Trumbull, CT. He was 83.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio to the late William and Honora (Walsh) Holleran, Brian was the third of ten children in a big Irish-Catholic family. He attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron before graduating from Kent State University in 1964. After a stint teaching high school math, he enrolled at The Ohio State University and earned a Ph.D. in Communications. He was a lifelong Buckeye fan!

In 1969, Brian accepted a teaching position in the Speech Communications and Theater Department at the State University of New York at Oneonta. During his nearly thirty-year career, he became a tenured, full professor and served as the department chair for many years, a position he truly loved.

Soon after arriving in Oneonta, Brian met fellow professor Paula Rizzo at a faculty picnic and was immediately smitten. According to family lore, he proposed on their first date, and again on their second, and third...until he finally “wore her down” and she accepted. They were married in August 1970, just under a year after meeting. Two children and many happy years followed, and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary only three days before his beloved Paula passed in 2020.

Brian and Paula became snowbirds in 1997, and spent many wonderful retirement years splitting time between their Goodyear Lake cottage in upstate New York and Sarasota, Florida. They also traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Central and South America. Brian was an avid tennis player until his early 70's, enjoyed golf, and was incredibly handy. Perhaps his favorite hobby was woodworking, and he made dozens of pieces of custom furniture and other creations, including a vintage-style Irish mail riding cart for his grandchildren. In his later years, Brian dabbled in wood carving, wood burning, and even painting. He was never afraid to try anything new. He also loved mystery novels, home renovation shows, and never missed the 6:30 p.m. nightly news–all from the comfort of his favorite leather recliner. Brian was an eternal optimist, generous to a fault, and could be described in the same way he described almost every other man he met; “a real nice guy!”

He is survived by his daughter Tracy (Steven Mattus) of Fairfield, CT, son Brett (Mica) of Oneonta, NY, and four grandchildren; Hayden and Campbell Mattus of New York, NY, and Brett Jr. and Bella Holleran of Oneonta, NY. He is also survived by six sisters, one brother, and dozens of nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to all his wonderful nurses and caregivers at Bridges Memory Care and Hartford Healthcare Hospice.

Calling hours will be held Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Family Funeral Home, 51 Dietz Street, Oneonta, NY; www.lhpfuneralhome.com. Funeral services will be private.