Brian Edson Harkness' Obituary
Brian Edson Harkness
March 8, 1949 – January 12, 2018
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Brain passed peacefully into heaven on January 12, 2018, at his home in Oakland, California. He is now with God and his parents, Phyllis A. Harkness (1996) and Roderick Harkness (1998) and his brother Mark Harkness (2007).
Brian is survived by his loving brothers and sisters, Paul Harkness and his wife Julie, Robert Harkness and his wife Carla, Dianne Harkness and her partner Barbara, and Maria Hurdle and her husband Rich. Brian was a loving uncle to Kristen Harkness, Tommy Harkness, Terra Hurdle, Regina Baker (Jered), and Erin Hurdle.
Brian, who grew up in San Lorenzo, attended Lorenzo Manor Elementary School, Bohannon Junior High School, St. John the Baptist Catholic School, and Bishop O’Dowd High School, from which he graduated in 1967. Brian was a gifted athlete. He competed in baseball, basketball, football, swimming, and judo. During his high school years, Brian was an active member of St. John’s Teen Club. He formed many close friendships both at St. John’s and Bishop O’Dowd, which he maintained throughout his lifetime. Brian prided himself on attending the yearly “Big Chill” reunions that brought many of these childhood friends together. It was always a special time for him to reconnect with those so important to him.
After graduating, out of love for his country and inspired by his Dad’s service during World War II, Brian joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968. He served a combat tour in the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, leading many patrols near the DMZ. Upon returning home, he completed his education at California State University Hayward, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accounting. He worked as an accountant throughout his professional career, retiring from his last position as a Controller at Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc., in 2003.
Brian was an avid fan of the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco Forty Niners, and the Golden State Warriors. He developed an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball, especially the Giants. His dream assignment would have been to be a statistician for the Giants. He amassed an extensive collection of baseball cards, eventually conducting a small business trading and selling his cards online.
Brian tremendously enjoyed the study of genealogy. He found great pleasure in tracing his familial roots back to the early 1600s in America and back to Scotland and England in the 1500s. He enjoyed exploring the Harkness’ roots in the foothills of California with his family, spending many hours of research in the library at Placerville and exploring Harkness Street in Georgetown.
As further evidence of his love of family, he spent many hours driving to Oregon to visit his sister Maria and family. He was honored to walk Maria down the aisle to renew her marriage vows to her husband Rich. Brian also proudly served as the Officiant for the weddings of his nieces, Terra and Erin. He also enjoyed spending time at Kristen and Tommy’s sports events and playing cards and board games with them. One of his last wishes was to walk his niece Regina down the aisle for her wedding, which he accomplished in June 2017.
Brian was a devoted member of the organization Mentor Discover Inspire and truly followed its inspirational philosophy. He will be remembered mostly for how much he meant to others. The most predominant elements of his nature were kindness, forgiveness, and generosity. Every day of his life, he consciously sought to make a positive difference in the lives of others. His sense of humor and fun drew others to him. He was courageous no matter what hardships came his way. He tenaciously battled against cancer, caused by his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. He holds the record at Ft. Miley Hospital for completing more than 2,000 hours of chemotherapy and many rounds of radiation. He was strong in his determination to live and never once complained. By example, he taught many of us about maintaining a positive attitude, refusing to give in to depression, and living each day to the fullest.
Brian was able to live his last days under the loving care of his sister Dianne and her life partner Barbara Nelson in the comfort of the family home, built by his grandparents.
Semper Fi, Brian. Love, your family and friends
Funeral arrangements will be held at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland on Saturday,
February 3, 2018 at 11AM.
In lieu of flowers, the Harkness family asks for donations to go to:
- DAV – Disabled American Veterans- (4 stars out of 4 charity navigator) Mail donations to:
P.O. Box 14301
Cincinnati, OH 45250
!!! https://www.dav.org - Cancer Research Institute – 86 cents of every dollar goes to programs – a form for donating by
mail can be found on their web site.
! ! https://www.cancerresearch.org
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