I will begin by expressing my thanks to all of you who have reached out to me at this sad and difficult time. Your kind words have meant a lot to me.
Brian Hatchett was born June 28, 1948, at St. Stephen’s hospital in London, England, and died on April 10, 2022, at the University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB. He was the only child of Cyril James Hatchett and Alice Rosina (Ovenden). Brian graduated from Hatfield Polytechnic in 1971 with a BSc (Honours) in Aeronautical Engineering. He worked at various jobs and spent time in the RAF as a Flight Lieutenant before
emigrating to Canada.
Brian arrived at Dorval, PQ on December 12, 1974, as a Landed Immigrant with a job at CAE as a systems engineer. He recalled two challenges: the cold and the French language, which he did master.
Brian worked for Telesat Canada, Spar Aerospace, and the Department of National Defence before moving to Nova Scotia to work with IMP. He ended his career with the National Research Council where he made some dear friends and enjoyed the challenges working with so many companies.
What never ceased to amaze me was how Brian could do just about anything. He was blessed with the intelligence, aptitude, and innate ability to analyze a problem and come up with a solution. He often said if you want a job done right do it yourself, and he
certainly completed many jobs over the past 35 years. He dealt with the practical things like plumbing, electrical, and mechanical but it was his creative side that brought him the most satisfaction. He designed and built a gazebo at Arbor Way, my garden shed, and two cedar strip kayaks to mention just a few.
Brian’s great passion was flying model airplanes, or maybe I should say it was buying planes. He made many good friends and looked forward to his trips to Margaree Valley for the annual gathering.
Brian was not thrilled about leaving Nova Scotia, but he did it for me and for that I will be eternally grateful. A special closeness evolved with Mike, stepson, Stephanie, and
grandchildren Max and Vivian. Brian and Max developed a very close relationship over the years, and the same was happening with Vivian.
The past few years were a challenge for Brian health wise, not to mention being so
restricted by Covid; however, Brian dealt with the situation with courage and
selflessness. He met each challenge head on. He maintained his sense of humour even while in hospital.
Brian will be greatly missed by all his family and friends. We will be having a celebration of Brian’s life at a later date.
Thank you all again for your kindness.
Mary MacLellan
Mary and family – my sincere condolences. Most people are said to dream in color. Not only did Brian very likely dream in color but he had a gift of an ability to portray his ideas to others in “full color” with only a black and white chalkboard. I recall so many sessions where Brian would bring together a small team into an empty classroom and lay out possible solutions to problems being faced by IRAP clients or other ideas that had come to him. At the beginning of such sessions there was sometimes skepticism among the team but as Brian proceeded to fill the board building on positive and negative input, once the board was pretty much filled to capacity there were clearly practical and useful gems among the text, equations and arrows. Brian was a valued colleague and friend.
I am very sorry to hear of Brian passing. My condolences to the whole family. As a long time colleague of mine at NRC for many years Brian was always brilliant and an inspiration. He was one of those larger than life NRC characters we will not forget.
I will miss Brian. Aside from being a mentor and a thoughtful valuable colleague who had the ability to provide a deeper perspective when necessary, I had the privilege of being able to count Brian as one of my closest friends. I will miss his wisdom and insight as well as his never failing sense of humour. May you soar high my friend!!
Mary and family. Brian brought with him everywhere he went and everything he did a very big heart. He cared for all of us at IRAP and hopefully we were responsive. He had keen insight, sometimes masked by his Shakespearean eloquence. He was a wonderful colleague and friend. Sending heartfelt condolences. God Bless.
Mary, It was with great sadness that I learned of Brian’s passing. As you will likely remember, Brian and I worked quite closely together at NRC-IRAP. Professionally, Brian and I shared interests in boat-building and aquaculture. Recreationally, we shared a love of “messing around in boats” … and much more(!).
It’s really good to know that Brian enjoyed the time in Alberta with your family, including the next generations. I send my warmest condolences to you and your family from another “old friend” in Halifax.
Brian was a respected and valued colleague at NRC-IRAP Atlantic, he has been missed since his retirement. My sincere condolences to you his family and friends.
Brian was truly an amazingly wonderful person. I have many fond memories working with him at NRC. He was very welcoming from the moment I joined the team, and we had many great conversations over the years. He was brilliant and will be greatly missed. My thoughts are with you.
I have very fond memories of Brian and my time working with him at the NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program. Clearly a very intelligent man, what left the lasting impact on me was his ability ability in one moment to share some well considered and thoughtful position and in the next show his pragmatism and sense of humor. When reminiscing about the “old days” with colleagues who joined since Brian retired, I think about him often. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Beautifully said Mary. Brian was so much about love and helping others. The two of you had such a special bond and I’m so glad that he was able to enjoy such closeness with Max and Vivian. Don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who cared more for people than Brian . He will be missed. Stay strong. Love Elinor