Please jot down a memory of Brian, or a photo with him in it, or just tell us how you were connected.
wrote on August 18, 2023
at
11:59 am
Like Conrad, I first met Brian through his children, as I too was a classmate of Thyrza and Barrett through middle school. For a decade or so I spent the vast majority of my weekends at their house. In that time I like to think I befriended Brian. To me, Brian was rare among adults I had encountered at that point. He never treated his childrens' friends like inferiors, inconveniences, or just kids to be patronized, he treated us like people. Iโm forever grateful that he and Jennifer did so; it was often a high bar to be treated like an adult as a kid, and I fell short many times, but I was always appreciative of that respect.
Another thing I share with Conrad is that through Brian and his family I was introduced to so many interests that have stuck with me to this day, paramount of which might be a love of tabletop games, especially Dungeons & Dragons. I remember Brian standing over a table, gesturing wildly, puffing out his cheeks, and blowing down at the table to emulate a dragon breathing fire. Leaping from his couch to bellow victoriously at the television when the OSU Beavers scored a touchdown. Sitting by a fire in their backyard on a warm summer night. Those are the moments Iโll never forget.
At the same time, I remember some of the early days, when he was โon callโ for work and would have to step away from gaming with us to fix some kind of bug or issue until the late hours of the night. As a kid I was always sad to see him leave and wished he would hurry through the work or find some way out of it. Looking back, I realized later that he didnโt want to do it either, but he did because he loved his family. No request was too much for him when it came to them. To Brian, in my experience, his family was more than just blood relatives; it was the people he chose to bring into that fold. I was privileged to be among them.
Brian and Jenniferโs home was always a place of refuge, calm, and fun. During some of the darkest times in my life I struggled with issues of depression and other challenges, and in those days the knowledge of that little bit of joy waiting just a few days away made it bearable. The little white house in West Seattle with its terraced front garden, sprawling with veggies in the summer, was the safest place.
As I grew up Brian was practically my second father, and through him I learned the kind of person I wanted to be. Brian was firm in his convictions, but always willing to listen and respond constructively. Brian celebrated people as they were; he truly judged people by who they were inside, not some superficial feature. At times he could be brutally honest, but also knew when to hold back. He was creative, insightful, sharp of wit, quick with a joke, and unerringly compassionate. Perhaps above all, he was fiercely loyal to his friends and family.
The world lost one of its best with Brianโs passing, and I will forever feel truly fortunate to have known him. Thank you and farewell Brian, may you rest in peace.
Another thing I share with Conrad is that through Brian and his family I was introduced to so many interests that have stuck with me to this day, paramount of which might be a love of tabletop games, especially Dungeons & Dragons. I remember Brian standing over a table, gesturing wildly, puffing out his cheeks, and blowing down at the table to emulate a dragon breathing fire. Leaping from his couch to bellow victoriously at the television when the OSU Beavers scored a touchdown. Sitting by a fire in their backyard on a warm summer night. Those are the moments Iโll never forget.
At the same time, I remember some of the early days, when he was โon callโ for work and would have to step away from gaming with us to fix some kind of bug or issue until the late hours of the night. As a kid I was always sad to see him leave and wished he would hurry through the work or find some way out of it. Looking back, I realized later that he didnโt want to do it either, but he did because he loved his family. No request was too much for him when it came to them. To Brian, in my experience, his family was more than just blood relatives; it was the people he chose to bring into that fold. I was privileged to be among them.
Brian and Jenniferโs home was always a place of refuge, calm, and fun. During some of the darkest times in my life I struggled with issues of depression and other challenges, and in those days the knowledge of that little bit of joy waiting just a few days away made it bearable. The little white house in West Seattle with its terraced front garden, sprawling with veggies in the summer, was the safest place.
As I grew up Brian was practically my second father, and through him I learned the kind of person I wanted to be. Brian was firm in his convictions, but always willing to listen and respond constructively. Brian celebrated people as they were; he truly judged people by who they were inside, not some superficial feature. At times he could be brutally honest, but also knew when to hold back. He was creative, insightful, sharp of wit, quick with a joke, and unerringly compassionate. Perhaps above all, he was fiercely loyal to his friends and family.
The world lost one of its best with Brianโs passing, and I will forever feel truly fortunate to have known him. Thank you and farewell Brian, may you rest in peace.