Matthew Brennesholtz
Matthew S. Brennesholtz, a genuinely kind human, died at home on Aug. 2 while getting ready for his weekly bike ride through New York City. He was 73.
Brennesholtz is survived by his wife, Libby; his three daughters, Rachel, Eleanor and Margaret; and one grandson, Paul, all of whom loved him dearly.
Matt was a proud Cornell graduate and member of the Seal and Serpent fraternity, finishing his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics in 1969 and his masters in 1978. Between his years in Ithaca, he was a Navy LAMPS helicopter pilot, based in San Diego where he met his wife, Libby.
He was a very devoted father and husband, who happily played along with his family’s silliness. If he took you to the zoo (which he always would), he made sure to stop and bark at the sea lions and make monkey noises by the monkey house. He was endlessly willing to pump up bicycle tires, make grilled cheese sandwiches and read books out loud.
Besides his family, Matt loved riding his bike, photography, drawing and writing fiction. He had an extensive portfolio of manhole cover photographs from around the world. He spent almost every Sunday with even tolerable weather on his bike, photographing the outside of New York City subway stations and the defunct New York, Westchester and Boston Railway. Along with his photography, he also loved to draw. No greeting card or Christmas letter was considered complete until he had doodled a detailed scene with a cat or black or yellow dog in it.
Professionally, he worked as an optical engineer specializing in display technology. He held multiple patents and proprietary awards, and he wrote the book “Projection Displays,” which was an Amazon bestseller (in the field of optics textbooks). He held leadership positions in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the International Society for Optics and Photonics and the Society for Information Display.
Many Pleasantville residents may remember seeing him on his evening walks, trailed by a large dog or a very vocal grey and white cat. He hated radishes, mean people and low ceilings.
His memorial service will be held sometime in 2021 when travel and public gatherings are easier.
In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you do something nice for other people, eat some ice cream and be sure to vote.
