Brian Vedder Memorial Fund

Brian was a kind, loving, compassionate man with an irresistible charm and infectious smile. His humor, sharp wit, and insightful nature made every job or task you worked on with him much easier, and even something to look forward to. His personality, full of exuberance and enthusiasm, would “light up a room”. He was a funny story teller and engaging conversationalist. Every stranger he met would leave feeling like a friend. He was a master at putting people at ease. I think it was his sensitivity, as well as his genuine interest in other’s happiness, and success, that made him so good at it.

         Brian was an amazing musician. His skill on the harmonica wasn’t something he boasted about, but would gladly demonstrate, with the harmonica he kept with him. He was an avid fisherman and hunter, and often times brought in his bounty to share with the rest of the shop. His smoked salmon was the best I’ve ever had. I know it was, because he told me it was. His love for his wife Raechel, family, and his children in particular, was obvious to everyone around. You could tell by the way he spoke of them that they were some of the great joys of his life. He would share pictures and tell stories, all while wearing that irrepressible and undeniable smile.

          It is easy to dismiss as hyperbole or exaggeration, someone’s claims that a person was “One in a million” or that he would “Light up a room”. In Brian’s case, not only was it a fitting description, but woefully inadequate. He was a giant of a man in every sense, and he will be missed.

                  Nate.