It is with much sadness that we mourn the passing of one of the BTA’s great friends and supporters, former board member Brian Reynolds. Brian passed away last Thursday, December 20 2007, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Those of us who had the privilege of working with him on the board will remember his financial savvy and good business sense, which led to him playing a key role in getting the BTA financially stable. Most of all, we’ll remember his quiet strength, his gentle sense of humor, and the inspiration he was to to all of us to keep surmounting obstacles and reaching higher. Brian’s loss will be felt by all of us who were lucky enough to know him.
Brian Dean Reynolds, 46, died on December 20, 2007 after an inspiring and courageous 15 year battle with cancer. He will be dearly missed by his many friends, family members and co-workers. Brian lived his life as a true example of spirit, tenacity and of overcoming incredible odds. He never lost his humble and unassuming nature, nor his love of life and unbeatable belief in what life had to offer. Even as a young man growing up playing football in Bend Oregon in high school, he was voted “most inspirational” by his teammates.
Brian was born in Bend, Oregon on November 4, 1961 to Paul and Ann Reynolds. He was raised in Bend and graduated from high school there. Brian graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in business and he remained a die hard Beavers fan to the very end.
Brian recently resigned his job as CFO at Rejuvenation Houseparts. He loved his work there, as well as his co workers. He was employed there for 12 years and developed very deep friendships during that time. Brian was recently selected as one of three finalists for CFO of the Year, by the Portland Business Journal. In addition, Brian and Gail are owners of Vestiges Storefront in Portland. Brian was instrumental in helping Gail set up her dream, even when his health was failing.
Brian was married to Gail Shepard in 1981. They have a wonderful daughter, Valerie, who recently graduated from USC with a degree in Architecture. She was the light of his life. Gail and Brian were able to join her last year in Italy, where she was doing a study abroad – truly a trip of a lifetime.
Brian was an avid and determined bicyclist – completing several organized cycling events, including the Livestrong ride, Cycle Oregon, as well as the Reach the Beach ride, in which he was the top fund raiser for the past 5 years. Cycling became his passion and his “treatment” for his cancer and overall health. He was active with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and had served on the Board of Directors for that organization.
Brian’s journey and struggle has been so inspiring that a documentary has been made about his journey with cancer, cycling and the power of realizing love and compassion in life. Recently he was able to view the almost final version of the film. His desire is that it will be released soon, and somehow help other people in their lives.
In addition to his wife Gail and daughter Valerie, Brian is survived by his parents Paul and Ann Reynolds of Lake Tahoe, Nevada; two brothers, Mark of Bend, Oregon, Bruce Reynolds of Baltimore, Maryland, and his beloved nieces and nephews who adored him.
A memorial service and reception will be held on Thursday,December 27th at 1:00 pm at the World Forestry Center in Miller Hall by the Portland Zoo. Memorials may be made to the Portland Bicycle Transportation Alliance, P.O. Box 9072 Portland, Oregon 97207, Northwest Sarcoma Foundation, 2065 NW Miller Rd. # 404, Portland, OR. 97229, or the American Lung Association, (Reach the Beach) , P.O. Box 14308 Portland, OR 97293.
The family wishes to acknowledge the ongoing love and support from friends and the community who learned of his story and made it a point to pass the story along, through a variety of media sources.
– Brian’s obituary, graciously provided by his father
Thank you for the the lovely memories of Brian in this obituary. I am so sad that we will all live in a world less full and less bright now that Brian has left it. His love and strength have been an inspiration to me for years and I hope that I can honor his memory.
Thank you BTA for all you do – I know that Brian was such a HUGE supporter of all that you stand and fight for.
To quote a good friend of mine and Brian’s…
“The big guy in the sky got a good one in Brian.”
Physically, Brian may be gone, but I know that he will never be forgotten… He very simply affected far too many people in so many positive ways for that to ever happen.
We’ve begun a website on behalf of Brian and his family/friends w/ a blog and a link to view Brian’s Documentary…
The website itself, and the final editing of the film, are both a work in progress – but we wanted to hustle and make something available for all, as a living tribute to a man that never hesitated to do what he could for anyone in need.
And on your next coffee stop during your next ride – order a mocha (‘WITH whip’ – Brian’s ride stop drink of choice) and say a little toast… I have a feeling that Brian will be on a good many rides, with a good many of us…for years and years to come.
Brian was a great friend. During the last year he made this comment which I think best summarizes his life philosophy for me.
“Life is hard, everyone has a story and you don’t get through it alone†If this is one of the universal truths then “Persevere, be compassionate and give, receive and accept love†Brian Reynolds 2007
One of my fondest memories of being together on the bike with Brian was when he did his first century. I can’t remember the ride (there were many) but we were heading into Pacific city and we were both pretty exhausted. I’d been keeping an eye on the computer and when it rolled to 100 I congratulated him on just finishing his first century. The smile he got on his face as he added this to his many accomplishments was enough to push us both to the finish line. He went on to do many more rides, including Cycle Oregon, but being with him for that first century will always be special memory to me.
Actually, Brian was a man of many accomplishments. That’s how he took things on, both good and bad, on and off the bike. He’d be presented with an issue, and most of them were damn hard ones, and then he’d make a plan and deal with it. Loosing a lung? OK, I can deal with it!
From another issue, to another goal…..to another accomplishment.
Brian was this quite, amazing force who made his statement on how to live life righteously by his actions.
I miss him terribly….but he will continue to be a constant reminder to me of how to be in this world, living the day-to-day…..on and off the bike.
Brian was a great friend and neighbor in our early years. I know he will be missed and the world is a lessor place without him.
About 12 years ago, my wife Judy, who was friends with Gail, Brian’s wife, said to me: “You should meet Brian, I think you’d really like him. He is into cycling and I think the two of you would have a lot in common!” Judy had done some caretaking for Brian when Gail was working after he had his first sacrum reconstruction surgery, taking meals, helping him walk etc. I just couldn’t imagine someone who had had spinal surgery like his being able to ride a bike…and me…after all…I was an overly competitive cyclist and quite full of myself. But we had some dinners together as couples, I got cancer as well, Brian supported me…and as things happen, this relationship deepened. In fact, I realized I had so much to learn from him (and I was 11 or 12 years older than he was!) and I grew closer and closer to him. A couple of Reach the Beach Rides, more dinners, more surgeries, more oxygen, and things didn’t look so good even though we all knew that we are all on this arc of life headed the same place. But I found myself a little miffed at my wife for introducing me to him. “Great, you introduce me to Brian…I fall in love with him…and now I am going to lose him…THANKS A LOT!” But really, Judy, Thanks a Lot My Dear! Without that relationship, getting past myself, learning about true collaboration and one day at a time…I DID learn so much from him and I will miss him terribly. I had so much more to learn…but as Brian said, “Everyone has a story”..maybe mine is to take what he taught me and keep learning on my own.
I think Robert has it right. Brian showed us how to ‘be’ in this world. Trying to put that into practice, thats a much harder thing.
Tolerance, patience, and a pragmatic approach to any life challenge are all things I want and need to do better at, because Brian showed me how its done.
And what got past a lot of people was how frigging tough he was. On training rides out East of Troutdale there would be these epic hills, (the kind you see on leadership posters with a stair climb of highway and some tagline about perserversance, that you hang in your office wall to show folks how tenacious you are!!). Brain would pull up at the base of these monsters, hill climbs that us double lunged folk would quake at, and then put his head down, drop it to the smallest gear and head up, stop when needed, but then continue on, while the rest of us stood there slack jawed.
In the early morning of Cycle O a few years back he set out early in the AM with just his Dad, Paul, as wingman and climbed one of those same type mountains that just went on for miles. I saw him at the end of the day, a huge grin on his face, ready to give out a big hug and declare in that soft spoken voice, ” We did it”. I was not even with him on that day and still he included me, as I think he included so many of us, on his journey.
I’ll miss you Brian, and will try and be a better man because I had the honor to ride with you. Love, Rich
I had the privelege of meeting Brian while we both served on the BTA board of directors. I remember my first realization of just how tough he was, when after he had missed a couple meetings I wasa told he had been battling cancer. He showed up at the next board meeting and we engaged in the fiestiest discussion all around the table…and nobody would guess he was still trying to get his strength back after some unbelievable treatments. Most people would have just said, “oh screw it” and felt sorry for themselves, but never, ever did Brian let on how much he had suffered, or how much he might be suffering that moment. He was so focused and so dedicated to giving something of himself to the issues that mattered. No matter how heated an argument may have gotten, he was patient, caring, and always stuck to the heart of the matter, he never got into personalities or petty disputes.
I had the good fortune to support Brian’s Reach the Beach team twice, and rode with him on Cycle Oregon. On an epic day when there was a tough ride in southern Oregon, and many people opted to ride shorter distance with fewer hills, I will remember forever the smile on Brian’s face when I saw him at the lunch stop at the to of a long climb. He gave me a hug, and said “isn’t this fantastic?” and giggled – he was having the time of his life, never complained about the hills, the weather, the porta-potty lines…nothing. He just lived every single moment he had to the utmost. You just can’t whine or feel sorry for yourself when you see a guy like that in action.
This year’s Reach the Beach was bittersweet, as the team took turns helping with gentle pushing, there was Brian making jokes about his oxygen tanks he was now using, drizzle and fog making people cold but happy to just be there with Brian, it was a day that I don’t think we wanted to end, because I think we all knew it was his last big ride. My biggest chuckle came when, as a newbie trying to help do some pushing, I got a little over-enthusiastic riding next to Brian with him giving me encouragement about how to push, when to push, and not to worry, to just have fun. He then gave me one of his sideways glances and said, “Just don’t get too used to pushing me around!” That was Brian…funny, fun to be with, and always a great friend.
I’ll miss you,Brian, but when I ride, I know you’ll be there smiling with me.
Deb
Brian and Gail were two of our first friends when we moved to Portland in 1990, not too long before Brian’s first diagnosis. As he did for so many others, Brian was a motivation and inspiration for me, both on and off the bike. He had an astonishing integrity, and would not stand for people being small or petty. In his own, quiet way, he would let you know what he thought was right. He made me think!
On the bike he showed me that pretty much anything is possible if you really want to achieve it. I never believed I could ride a Century, but he inspired me to try it. Brian was also a magnet for good people. I believe he pushed all of us to be our best selves.
One of the things Brian would say to me as I was struggling up a steep hill summed up his general outlook. “Don’t look up. Just look at your front wheel and keep it moving. You won’t see that there’s a hill in front of you.” I think perhaps that was his philosophy in life as well. He didn’t look at the hill in front of him that was this daunting illness. He just kept on — laughing, loving and living. I hope to honor him by doing the same, with the same kind of grace and enthusiasm he showed every day.
I worked with Brian for ten years at Rejuvenation Inc. Over those years he always had cancer and he commuted by bike almost daily- no matter the weather, no matter how he felt, no matter what bad news he’d gotten about the steady decline of his health, almost no matter what.
He inspired so many of us to ride as a result. If Brian could get himself on a bike each day, how could we not? If Brian could work so hard to ride Reach the Beach, how could we wimp out? If Brian set his sights on riding Cycle Oregon and all that it meant for him to ride so many miles on a daily basis with only one lung and with other physical infirmities, how could we not get out to train with him.
When I think about the people I’ve met in my life who really inspire me to reach higher and be better, Brian is at the top of my list.
Brian was a great partner in the effort to support bicycling. Having served on the Board of Directors with him, and subsequently on staff when he was on the Board, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to know him.
His warm approach to life, insights on how to improve the BTA, and unstoppable spirit and dedication will be missed incredibly. My thoughts are with his family.
The BRIAN Documentary was entered into the Bend Film Festival this last weekend. It was awarded the ‘Peoples Choice’ Award.
Brian’s inspiring being, and story, continues on..
View the 59min film here:
http://www.screencast.com/users/berrymediaworks/folders/PERMANENT/media/3aaccdbb-c75b-4702-87b6-c3d8137cf648
I am incredibly sorry to hear of Brians passing. I played High school football with him and was on the track team with him in Bend. He was always a good friend and example for others.
I left Bend for the Navy and spent the rest of my life abroad. I was just trying to locate some old friends and I found this info on him. The fact that he still has an impression on my mind over 30 years later speaks volumes.
Condolences to you Gail and his friends.