Memories & Celebrations: Obituary

Brian Hawker

January 15, 1945 - April 16, 2024

Brian Hawker died peacefully on April 16th, 2024, surrounded by friends and family, at the age of 79, in Guelph Ontario. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Andrea, parents Frank Hawker and Enid Rice, and brothers David Hawker and John Hawker. Brian will be deeply missed by his nephew Geoff Hawker (Jennifer Tung) and niece Whitney Hawker (Jeff Brown). He is also predeceased by his nephew Leith Hawker, and will be remembered by his niece Kelly Hawker. Brian was a supportive, grandfatherly figure to great nieces Sophie, Gemma and Emily, and great nephew Sam. He was an engaged, loving godfather to Isaan. Brian was someone for whom family took on an expansive definition. He will be missed as an honorary family member at many tables and in many homes.

Brian was born on January 15th, 1945 in Montreal, Quebec. Brian spent much of his younger life enjoying the company of his brothers and their young families, particularly around the Sunday dinner table. Brian loved the idea of having multiple places where you could walk-in without knocking, shed your coat and your brave face, grab a mug and pour some coffee. Over the course of his life, he found himself cultivating such havens in Montreal, Tanzania, Tamarindo, Sioux Lookout, Guelph, Vancouver, and Kitchener, among others. Community and friendship were Brian’s biggest treasures.

Brian was a teacher. For over two decades he worked at Concordia University, fulfilling many roles, including: ESL program Coordinator, University Ombudsman, Assistant Director for the MBA Program, and Assistant to the Associate Dean in the Faculty of Commerce.  He then went on to be the Director of a B.Ed Program and School Success Planner in Northwestern Ontario. As a teacher, Brian started with curiosity for every student, who found him to be relatable, disarming and kind.

After moving from Montreal to Sioux Lookout, Brian spent over a decade sitting with Elders and his Indigenous neighbours, taking stock of the current educational system in Northwestern Ontario, and dreaming of spaces for learning that were culturally safe, historically informed, staffed and accessible. In the decade that followed, he continued on this mission through consultant work and relationship building. In addition to working toward a new conception of schooling in Northern Ontario, Brian wrote a book, “The Crooked Path: Colonization to Decolonization”, exploring what is required for future generations of Indigenous children to thrive, which summarized all he had learned from cherished friends and mentors, to whom he felt he owed so much.

Brian and Andrea shared of themselves generously, drawing the circle wide around those who needed it, and creating spaces where humour, fun and spiritedness healed and connected. They hosted film nights, themed dinner parties, created book clubs and art spaces and poetry nights. Brian played the part of swamp monster in many a fantastical backyard hangout, to the terrified delight of many a child. He dared to rewrite Leonard Cohen songs, immortalizing the playful spirit of Sioux Lookout’s local Sally Ann and the volunteers who run the show. Brian and Andrea grieved deeply the fact that they were unable to have children, and grieved even more deeply the societal silence around infertility. This complex experience of loss, while unresolved until the end, was nevertheless in part the inspiration for the beautiful, close connections he and Andrea had with so many children.

Two of Brian’s oft repeated phrases near the end of his life were “go towards beauty”, attributed to Andrea, and “one of life’s greatest gifts is to explore unanswerable questions in good company”. Right up to the final moments of his life, Brian did both.

A celebration for Brian will be held at the Unitarian Congregation of Guelph, located at 122 Harris St., Guelph, Ontario, beginning at 3 pm on May 6th, 2024.  A reception will follow at 31 Pinetree Drive, Guelph, Ontario.  A livestream of the ceremony may be available, please check on the Wall-Custance funeral home site (https://wallcustance.com/) or contact the Unitarian Congregation for more details.  A second celebration will be held in Sioux Lookout, Ontario on June 15th, 2024, with details to follow by contacting his close friends in the Sioux Lookout community.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting Operation Smile at https://operationsmile.ca/ and follow the Donate link.  Alternatively, Brian was a long-time student and supporter of the Ontario Vipassana Centre for meditation.  They accept “in memoriam” contributions on behalf of previous students: https://www.dhamma.org/en/schedules/schtorana.