It is with broken hearts we announce the sudden passing of a wonderful man, Brian Davies, age 69.

 

Brian was predeceased by his parents Ben and Betty Davies, brother Roy Davies, Fathers-in-Law George Gowler and Bruce Bannatyne and nephew, Lewis Daigle.  

 

Brian is survived by and deeply missed by his loving wife Joanne of 35 years, son, Shaun and daughters, Kristianne and Melissa, sisters, Corrine (Dave) Blackmore, Diane (Allan) Rushworth, Pam Kubicz, brother, Glen (Karen Clearwater) Davies, mother-in-law Sharon Gowler, sisters-in-law Marcia Davies, and Deb (John) McCreanor as well as many loving nieces and nephews. 

 

He met the love of his life, Joanne in 1982, whom he lovingly called Joey. They were married 1987. Their first-born son, Shaun arrived in 1989, and their twin daughters, Kristianne and Melissa were born in 1992. Brian was an amazing Dad. He and Joanne were all about family.  

 

Brian was a loving and caring father. His family was number one in his world and not a day went by without that being evident. His son Shaun was his best friend and his daughters Kristi and Melissa were the apples of his eye. He was so proud of the wonderful, caring people they have grown into. Many loving and fun times were had which are too numerous to count. Their dad taught them so many life lessons and laughter was a constant thread in all. His dedication to his wife Joey was endless. After 35 years their bond was as strong as the day they were married. This also included many pets he cared for deeply. He found joy in spending time with and spoiling all of the furry companions in his life.

 

As the first-born son of a family of 6 children, he had a wonderful childhood growing up in St. Charles. He was christened in the St. Charles United Church and attended St. Charles Public School, Hedges Junior High School and then John Taylor Collegiate. He completed his studies in Graphic Arts at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.

 

Brian worked in the printing industry for his entire career. Starting at Brigdens Printing and then GB Graphics, where he learned the art of stripping negatives. When asked what he did for a living, he would proudly say “I am a stripper”. After many years Brian evolved into the bindery end of the business which brought him to Dave’s Quick Print until retiring in 2018. Many relationships were built over this time, resulting in life long friendships.

 

Although he loved what he did, his true passion was his time spent at Assiniboia Downs race track. He would get up before the sun was up and ride his bike over to the track and work the horses before going to school. After finishing school Brian began working in the backstretch in the early 1970’s working with many trainers, exercising horses and several years on the gate crew. Since that time, he has seldom missed a race day at the Downs visiting the paddock and spending time with his many friends. Brian loved sharing his stories about the backstretch and his favourite horse, "So Royal II".

 

From a very young age, Brian easily made friends everywhere he went, both young and old. He did this with his infectious charm and sense of humour. Brian had a quick wit and was always telling jokes and could make everyone laugh when he spoke in the voice of Donald Duck. Brian would always have an amazing way to quickly turn a somber situation into a funny one and always made people laugh. He missed his calling as a stand up comedian. Along with his brothers Roy and Glen, the three of them would have everyone in stitches laughing as they recited and mimicked Monty Python skits.

 

Brian’s love of music was endless. He played guitar for a time and had a passion for such groups as King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The list of musicians were long and varied. This passion would lead to many concerts and live shows with his brother Glen. One of his favorite sayings was “Did I tell you I saw these guys live?” when a song would come on the radio. Brian had a wealth of musical knowledge; he had an extensive collection of albums and music which he would listen to for several hours every single day.

 

He was a beautiful soul, a loving, caring husband and father. As we reflect on his life and roll it all into a collection of moments and stories we would like to share…

 

“The Life of Brian”:

 

At 2 years of age, Brian was entered into a baby contest organized by Eatons of Canada. He won and was crowned King of the Babies with a satin cape and winning cup. He wasn’t all that impressed and tried to give the cup back to Diane. Even then he had a natural and innate ability to make people laugh. 

 

Brian has always been an old soul, even in his early years when he developed a special relationship with Steven Chizmadea who lived across the road in a small wooden shack. Brian loved spending time with this elderly gentleman sitting around his pot belly stove. Steven always smoked a pipe and told Brian many stories of his homeland in Hungary while sharing a strong tin-cup of coffee with lots of sugar in it.

 

Brian was a member of cubs and later as a Cadet. Brian loved to play hockey and was quite committed as he played only on outdoor rinks. As he got a little older, Brian would get up early in the morning and caddy at Glendale Golf and Country Club for extra pocket money. 

 

His love of the TV shows, The Little Rascals, Red Skelton and I Love Lucy fueled Brian’s repertoire of comedy acting. One day after an episode of the Little Rascals Brian and his brother Roy copied them by wrapping their Mum’s old red coat around themselves and ran around the yard repeating skits they had heard. Entertaining to say the least!

 

In the early sixties Brian and his siblings were all captured by the British music invasion, The Beatles played non-stop on Corrine’s record player. Impressed with their music, Brian and Diane got a group of friends together and performed “She Loves You” at a school concert at St. Charles Public School - their performance had the crowd captivated and roared with delight as Brian mimicked John Lennon perfectly, while the other boys pounded away on their borrowed guitars and homemade drum kit styled from a lamp shade.  

 

Golf was one of Brian’s favorite pass times and would always make sure to get in as many rounds as he could every summer. There were many great memories, laughs and beers shared with friends and family on the course.

 

Christmas was always a special time for everyone to get together on Boxing day at his sister Pam’s home. Laughter, food and special moments were plentiful.

 

His most favourite memories were made with his family and in laws, Sharon, and George at the cottage at Oak Bay on Lake Manitoba. The family shared many fun times swimming and fishing. He held his title as Cornhole Champion. In the evening they were thankful for the bonfires and special times they shared around the fire and would have cocktails on the beach after their day’s adventures. 

 

We would like to give Special thanks to Dr. Stephen Coyle for his wonderful care, support and friendship. Many conversations were had about Manchester United, and the goings-on in UK football.

 

A very special thank you to Talon and Rico for all their love, support and help during this trying time.

 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

 

In lieu of flowers, we ask that because of Brian’s love of horses, donations be made to the Barefoot Ranch: Manitoba Horse Rescue & Sanctuary.

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Brian's family kindly requests that all of his friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour his memory by watching the photo-biography above. Please, also consider sharing your own photos, memories, and stories by making use of the comment section on this page.