John J. Brickell

John J. Brickell, age 87, passed away on March 10, 2026, at Nittany Mountain Medical Center. Born in Syracuse, New York, on June 4, 1938, to the late Charles H. Brickell Sr. and Mary Ellen Brickell (née View), John grew up in Syracuse, where he graduated from Eastwood High School before attending Syracuse University and UCLA.

In 1957, he began his career as a senior computer programmer analyst with the Rand Corporation’s System Development Division in upstate New York. In 1961, he proudly entered the United States Air Force, serving with the 107th TAC Fighter Squadron in Phalsbourgh, France, during the Berlin Crisis and later as a field-site programmer at the Eastern NORAD Region SAGE Combat Center. After his military service, he returned to Rand and was transferred to Santa Monica, California, where he wrote programs, developed curriculum, and instructed Air Force officers. In 1970, he moved with his growing family to New Jersey, working in Paramus and later in New York City as head of the computer lab department at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital until his retirement. He raised his family in Westwood, New Jersey, and spent the final twenty-five years of his life in Gatesburg, Pennsylvania.

John was an avid sports fan who followed Penn State and Syracuse University football and basketball, and he loved watching tennis and attending the US Open. He took pride in his culinary skills, enjoyed gardening, and was known for his remarkable memory and gift as a storyteller. A longtime member of Nittany American Legion Post 245 in State College and a faithful parishioner of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, he remained a devoted family man above all else. His greatest joy came from spending time with those he loved.

He was predeceased by his parents, his sister-in-law Barbara Brickell, and his great-grandson Jeromy Daiwey Whalen. John is survived by his daughter Monique Whalen and her husband Patrick; his sons Curt Brickell and Jason Brickell and his wife Tara; his brother, Rear Admiral Charles Brickell, USN, Retired; his grandchildren Jesse Whalen and his wife Romilyn, Averi McNeel and her husband Clayton, Nicole Schneider and her husband Greg, Abigail Whalen, Ayden Brickell, Charlie Brickell, and Lily Brickell; his great-grandchildren Bode and Dahlia; and several nieces and nephews.