Newly married to his high-school sweetheart, to which he shared three young children, 36-year-old Logan based truck driver Brendan Armanasco had his final send-off over the weekend, with trucks gathering in convoy to bid their farewells.
The son of a truckie, when Brendan was growing up, all he wanted to do was to drive trucks – and upon finishing school, he got his truck licence and was on his way.
His wife Pagen Armanasco said he gave everything a crack throughout his truck driving career. “He did linehaul, local work and even went to the mines at one point,” she said. “He was just a typical truck driver – fun loving and easy going. Brendan had a big heart that he wore on his sleeve. He was a little rough around the edges but like a teddy bear on the inside.”
Pagen and Brendan met 21 years ago and began dating 13 years ago. They had planned to get married on March 5, 2023, but as Brendan’s health began rapidly deteriorating, they decided to tie the knot by his bedside in ICU.
Brendan passed away from heart failure after battling stage 4 dilated cardiomyopathy. “He had been unwell for some time, then it all came to a peak this year,” revealed Pagen. “You wouldn’t have known Brendan was unwell if you saw him. He was working until three months before he passed away. His heart medication interfered with his kidneys, so he had kidney failure too and had six heart attacks in just three days.”
Not knowing how much longer Brendan had, the couple got married on November 14. Sadly, Brendan passed away just one week later, on November 21 – also leaving behind Charlotte (9), Georgia (2.5) and 11-month old Wyatt who celebrates his first birthday next week.
Knowing how much Brendan loved his trucks, Pagen wanted to give him a fitting send-off. The funeral service was held at the Willmax and Carters truck depot in Rocklea on December 3, and around 20 trucks took part in a procession.
“Otways Transport was the last company Brendan worked for and they let us use the truck Brendan drove. It was the lead truck and it carried his coffin. It was absolutely perfect. I cannot even begin to find the words to show our appreciation to Otways Transport for making his final ride so amazing,” explained Pagen.
“We actually wired up lights to his coffin as well and plugged them in with a trailer plug, so he also had his lights going too. Carters Transport supplied some trucks for the convoy and the other trucks were all from people he knew. They did about an hour trip, heading down the Centenary before turning around and coming back up to Rocklea.”
Pagen says she hopes that her late husband is remembered for the wonderful man he was. “I hope he’s remembered for his character, he had a very unique character and a little bit of a dry, warped sense of humour. I hope people remember him for all the laughs he gave,” she said.
“With two of our kids being so little, I haven’t explained what’s going on to them because I didn’t know how to. But they’ll grow up knowing exactly who their father was.”
As Pagen and the children continue to heal and grieve after their tragic loss, close friend Rene Plowman has set up a GoFund Me page for the family to assist with bills and expenses.
“Brendan’s body couldn’t fight anymore. He fought so hard too. We promised we will look after his family and he could go with the peace of mind knowing this,” Plowman explained on the page.
To donate, please click here.
