Richard Moffat Brett

Richard M. Brett, passed away January 24th 2024 at Carroll Hospital at the age of 62. He was an adored cinema professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He was the beloved husband of Bonnie Brett (formerly Coffman) and cherished step-father to Kara Coffman. He was predeceased by his parents, Cecil and Jean Brett.

Richard received his Bachelor’s degree in 1984 from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. He went on to earn an MA in Film and Video Production from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA in 1987 and an MFA in Broadcasting/Cinema from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1994.

From 2000-2010 he was an Associate Professor, Program Coordinator of Visual and Performing Arts for St Andrews College in Laurinburg, NC. In 2010, he was recruited to McDaniel College in Westminster, MD to co-create with his colleague and friend, Jonathan Slade, what is now the Cinema Program at McDaniel. “During his time at McDaniel, Richard wrote five feature-length screenplays, most of which won industry awards or were optioned by production companies,” Professor Slade said on the McDaniel Cinema Facebook page. Richard was on sabbatical the fall semester of 2023. He was simultaneously pitching his first novel, “OCCULT,” for publication and writing his second novel.

In addition to his wife and step-daughter, Richard is survived by his mother in law, Jean Cohen; brother in law, Jeff Cohen; cousins Doug Moffat, Nancy Moffat Lockhart, and Leslie Moffat Martin. He is also survived by many colleagues, students, alumni, and friends.

Richard absolutely loved being a teacher. He came by it naturally. His father was a college professor, as was his maternal grandfather. The outpouring of love from the McDaniel campus and alumni of both McDaniel and St Andrews Colleges is a testament to the dedication, tireless effort, and care he put into his teaching.

A Celebration of Life is planned for February 24 at 2:00 pm. It will be held at McDaniel College in Baker Memorial Chapel. The service will be livestreamed on the Myers Durboraw Funeral Home PA Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Richard M. Brett Memorial Scholarship fund at McDaniel College. To make a gift, please visit www.mcdaniel.edu click on the donate button and then choose the scholarship from the dropdown menu for designations. Online condolences may be made to myersdurborawfh.com. Arrangements by Myers-Duboraw Funeral Home, P.A.