Bryan was born in Elgin, MB and grew up dairy farming with his family south of Brandon, MB. During his youth, he became a proficient piper with the 26th Field Regiment as well as developing a passion for Jersey cattle.  He moved to BC in the late 50’s where he married, started a family and began working on a Dairy farm in Delta, BC and then moved onto sales. Bryan returned to Brandon, MB in 1968, established his own Hay business and in 1971, married Diane.  They moved to Portage la Prairie and then Edwin where the family ran Edenderry Jerseys. A highlight for Bryan was raising Grafton Lucy’s Bell who received a 96.8 classification, the highest a Jersey cow in Canada had ever received up to that point. He also became very involved with 4-H, a relationship that continued for much of his life. The family moved back to BC in 1981 where he re-connected with the farming families in Delta, BC and over the next 40 years, Bryan worked as a herdsman on both the W.H. Savage Farm and the Hendrickson Farm, delivered and sold hay for Vanderveen Hay Sales, and began two Agricultural businesses: Pacific Forage Bag Supply, which he initially started with John Poelman and Prairie Pacific Seeds, which he established with his nephew Kim Warburton.  Another moment of pride for Bryan; initiating the development of a new Silage Bagger that eventually became the JBS Track-Pack machine. When asked why he never retired, Bryan always said, “Because I love what I do”. 

Quick to laugh with an open heart, Bryan loved growing roses, his veggie garden, salmon fishing, curling with Doug in MB and then the farmers in BC, the cabin in Parksville, the Three Tenors, the VSO, running the SunRun until he was 70, BBQing, Greek baking, being with family and friends and, of course, drinking Scotch.  Even as his health deteriorated, he was happiest in his red truck driving with Andy, Alexis or on his own to a farm to check out corn fields, cattle or just get the gossip of the day. When those trips had to stop, heading to the nursery to purchase flowers for his beautiful baskets or get food for his roses and tomato plants remained a passion as well as texting or seeing the grandkids. He also cherished the trips to Greece, Italy and Ireland with Diane and Roula and the Arizona adventures with the Halmarsons where they reminisced about the Grand Forks adventures of old.

Bryan’s charm, wit, intelligence and gentle grace will live on with so many for so very, very long.  We will celebrate his life when we can gather again in the future.

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien