I’m labelling Brian the middle child because he is sandwiched between twin older brothers and 3 little sisters.  Brian was always a big brother, teaching me to drive while sitting on his lap or having Donna and I toting along side him. He is the brother that was at home the longest with Donna and I as he made his way through med school.  He had his bedroom in the basement that was always so full of text books and studying but always had a side build on the go.

Brian was always building something and I’m going to miss so many projects but I list the ones that I remember growing up.  A huge bird cage with different rooms in it for his colourful finches, a harpsichord, a fiber glass kayak, a beautiful canoe and paddles.  Along with always building, he was a busy family physican, avid camper and then pilot.  He used this to fly back and forth to his cottage at the Manitoulin Island where we spent a lot of our summers.

It was Brian in his Jeep and Ricky in his, roofs were down, doors were off and we were blasting down the sandy beaches of Providence Bay at the Manitoulin Island. It was here that I got the notion that when I grew up I was going to have a black Jeep.  I spent many summer days with Brian in that black Jeep whether it was tagging along to evening house calls in Merrickville, watching Star Wars movies at the drive-in or tracking back and forth to Ottawa, enjoying that feeling you only know if you’ve had a road trip in a Jeep.

Brian also played a very important role in our family as the doctor we turned to so many times.  I, myself had a few evening calls for advice when my kids were sick as did other family members.  Brian was always such a great listener and gave advice that was calming when filled with worry about a sick child.

This calming trait of his was so ever-present in two pivotal times in our family.  I remember we were all in the waiting room at the Heart Institute at the Civic Hospital.  Dad was in having bypass surgery.  It was a long wait and we gathered, mom keeping busy knitting as we awaited the doctors to come and tell us how things went.  Post surgery, Brian went in with mom to get the details of how things went.  I remember mom being so grateful to have Brian’s knowledge to decipher everything that was being told to her.  

The other time was when Mom was in her final months of life.  She had fallen and was fighting a terrible infection in her lower leg.  Brian was entering into retirement and moving from Brockville to Midland to be close to his kids, it was an incredibly busy time for him.  We were all so very confused with everything that was happening to Mom but having Brian arrive, provided us with a sense of security in making the right choices for mom.  Monitors were everywhere, constant beeping on machines, oxygen and so much more.  Brian arrived, had conversations with Mom’s medical team and came out in the waiting area to speak with the rest of us.  During such a busy and stressful time in his life, he still arrived with his calm approach to everything. When we went back in to see mom, she was calm, and the beeping and multiple monitors were gone.  She looked relieved and said, “Thank you”.  This was so like mom!

Although Brian is often quiet, he is quick to laugh and always smiling when surrounded by family.  I don’t see him as often as I did when he was in Brockville, but he is enjoying retirement close to his beloved grandchildren.

Love you big brother, from your little JEEPGYRL.