Carol “Hannah” Brenner, a homeless woman in Montclair who was the subject of a profile in this newspaper in October, died on Dec. 13.

Still a familiar presence on the streets of Montclair at the time of her death, she had for her closest companion a small dog whom she called Little One.

Although her given name was Carol, she liked to be called Hannah. Born April 6, 1933, she grew up on Long Island and moved to New Jersey with her mother. Earlier this year she told a reporter that she had earned a master’s degree and had taught at several Manhattan universities.

She had no savings, however, and only a tiny pension. Brenner lived for a period following her mother’s death in a rooming house on North Fullerton Avenue in Montclair. When she was evicted about two years ago, she was homeless. Brenner described becoming homeless not as “a moment” but rather as “a gradual process of deterioration” that continues even after one is on the streets. “You lose things, you neglect things, you can’t get to the things that help keep you together,” she said.

Brenner frequented local soup kitchens and spent nights at the Salvation Army shelter in Montclair and in motels and acquaintances’ homes in West Orange and Newark. She was a regular at the Write Group, a gathering of writers held at the Montclair library several times a week.

AnnMarie Goglia of the Salvation Army, which, in addition to the shelter, runs a soup kitchen and an Alcoholics Anonymous group in the Central Presbyterian Church in Montclair, met Hannah before she was a client. “It was a cold winter night and I went shopping. I saw an old woman at Whole Foods supermarket waiting for a cab,” she recalled. “I drove her home and helped her with her groceries.” But Goglia knew Brenner was on the edge, because many of her clients lived in the same rooming house. She saw her again when Brenner was evicted. “I saw all her stuff on the porch.”

It was just after an AA meeting at the church that Brenner suddenly felt ill. (Workers believe she came to the meetings not because she was an alcoholic but for the warmth and the coffee.)

Alastair Bate of the Salvation Army was with her and called an ambulance. He could not be reached for comment. She was brought to Mountainside Hospital, where she died later that evening of natural causes according to the death certificate. Those who knew her said she suffered a massive heart attack.

Little One is living temporarily with Sharon Nash of Studio Groomers, a pet grooming salon where Brenner occasionally took the dog for a bath. Brenner had asked Nash to take the dog for a while about a month ago as the weather got colder. “She couldn’t stay anywhere but wanted me to keep the dog,” said Nash.

If Brenner had a difficult time finding a place to stay, Little One will not. “I’ve had about 16 phone calls from people who want the dog,” said Nash. “Hannah was all over. She worked it, and not just the Jewish community. She was at the Catholic church, the Presbyterians, and the Salvation Army. Everyone found out she died and everyone’s concerned about the dog.”

Brenner’s sister, Lois Popolow of Florida, asked Nash not to make any decisions until her arrival.

Popolow did not hear the news until Thursday, Dec. 21. It came in an e-mail from a social worker who had served as a liaison between the sisters. “I was reading e-mail and talking to a friend at the same time,” she said. “I opened this e-mail and it said, ‘So sorry to hear of your sister’s passing.’” She added, “Hearing about her death the way I did — it’s a little difficult to bear. I have multiple guilt feelings.” She remembered her sister when they were younger. “She was clever and funny and talented. She was college-educated, a speech therapist. She was beautiful, with a lovely singing voice. Her potential was unbelievable. But she had demons….”

Popolow added she could never be sure if her sister was telling the truth. “She lied a lot.” Their relationship was not close, and Popolow acknowledged the difficulty of having a sister like Hannah, who was “angry” much of the time. “When she cried it was the saddest thing. I was always glad when she was angry, because I could be angry in return.” Trying to sum up her sister’s life, she finally said, “She was a fabulously interesting character who lived a tortured life.” And, as Brenner had told this paper, Popolow said she stopped helping Hannah financially, on the advice of a professional, until her sister could give evidence that she had sought help.

Popolow has arranged for a graveside service on Thursday, Dec. 28, at Mount Hebron cemetery in Flushing, NY. Brenner is to be buried next to her mother.

Christopher Sutherland, who owns Jack’s Stationery Store with his mother, Nancy, was storing Brenner’s suitcases since she had been evicted from the rooming house across the street. Brenner retrieved them two months ago. She was a frequent visitor to Jack’s, where she would get a bite to eat for free or make a phone call at no charge. The proprietors of the 56-year-old family-owned business have always been known for helping people in the neighborhood who are down on their luck.

“It’s sad in a way. It’s a shame that she was on the streets,” said Sutherland. “She was a character. I got along with her. A lot of people did not. You have to understand.”

Popolow received a letter from Brenner a few days before her death, accompanied by an “amazing” poem, she said. The letter ended, “I am not a fallen woman. I am a woman in free fall without a net.”