Brent Wellman Urcheck

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Brent Wellman Urcheck, a loving son and brother, respected colleague, and friend to all he met, who died of natural causes in his Philadelphia, PA home. He will be remembered by scores of loved ones as a man of deep compassion, unwavering loyalty, and sharp wit who brought lightness and laughter everywhere he went.

Born to Sara Jane Sargent and Gary Urcheck in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 13, 1976, Brent developed a love of sports from a very young age. He was skiing at 5 years old, followed by ice-skating, and later baseball, which would prove to be a life-long obsession. As a scholar-athlete at Shaker Heights High School in Ohio, Brent would lead both his Red Raiders baseball (as an All-Ohio catcher) and football (at quarterback, recognized as a Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Player of the Week) teams to winning seasons, garnering numerous accolades and many friendships along the way.

Family played a vital role throughout Brent’s life. As a child he was surrounded by the love of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins whose holiday traditions spanned everything from yearly football games to John Prine singalongs to world-class charcuterie boards in Fremont, OH. As the youngest cousin, a chubby, adorable boy with wild hair, he experienced his first brush with the affection and torment of older girls in the form of his sister, Stephanie, and their cousins KatieSuzyJulie. At the core of that playful dynamic was a special sibling relationship; Brent deeply loved and fiercely protected his sister, and despite living 2,700 miles apart, he and Stephanie cruised the Mediterranean Sea together and attended Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concerts all over the US.

Brent possessed a unique ability to observe and prioritize what’s important, what’s fair, and what’s fun. This served him well in all aspects of life but proved invaluable in his professional pursuits. After graduating in 1998 from the University of Richmond, where he was a beloved member of the Spider baseball team, Brent had a “cup of coffee” in the corporate world before realizing the need to merge his analytical talents and his passion for baseball. Armed with little more than his ambition and a couple of phone numbers, he headed to Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, where he networked his way into an internship with his hometown team, the Cleveland Indians. From there, Brent’s long hours, attention to detail and love of the game fueled his rise through the Tribe’s scouting department. The relationships and respect he gained throughout professional baseball culminated in 2018 when Brent joined the Toronto Blue Jays front office. In their recent tribute, the organization recognized how crucial Brent’s work was in building this year’s American League Champion roster.

He had many diverse interests; Brent enjoyed cooking, skiing, attending concerts and sporting events, fostering rescue dogs and creating hilarious Halloween costumes. But most of all, he loved his many friends. You could see it in his greeting, feel it in his hug and experience it in his selfless deeds; Brently was simply there for you. Of course, he was also there to tease you, and his ability to gently lampoon friends’ idiosyncrasies was legendary. He stoked and poked fun throughout his Shaker Heights, Richmond, DC, Philadelphia and MLB circles, uniting them into a single crew that had his kind, fun-loving disposition at its core. Brent maintained so many of his childhood friendships throughout adulthood, and they will forever be regarded as family by the Urchecks and Sargents. Despite reeling from the tremendous loss, this huge group of loved ones is blessed with the many wonderful memories, both big – a summer sojourn in Europe, Yankees series in Toronto – and small – late-night viewing of The Last Waltz, a COVID check-in on your kid – that Brent created in his time with us.

Brent is survived by his mother, Sara Jane Sargent and her husband, Jack (Geneva, OH); his father, Gary Urcheck and his partner, Patty Arendt (New Albany, OH); his sister, Stephanie Urcheck (Los Angeles, CA) and many aunts, uncles and cousins from across the country. All are grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love and sympathy they have received from Brent’s many friends.

A memorial reception will be held at Debonné Vineyards in Madison, OH on Sunday, October 26, 2025, from 2-4PM ET. Additionally, a Philadelphia gathering is being planned for Saturday, November 15th and once that, as well as any other events celebrating Brent, are confirmed the details will be communicated.

Flowers may be sent to the following address for this Sunday’s event Debonné Vineyards, 7840 Doty Road, Madison, OH 44057.

In lieu of flowers, you might consider a donation in Brent’s honor to the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Online obituary and guestbook at www.behmfuneral.com