Obituary of Brian Christopher Henderson

Brian, late of Regina, SK, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the age of 60 years after a long battle with cancer. Brian was born in Brandon, Manitoba on December 28, 1956 to Thelma and William Henderson. He was predeceased by his father’s, Robert Zacharias (Step-father) and William Henderson. Brian is survived by his mother, Thelma Henderson; his loving wife of thirty-seven years, Christine Fehr Henderson of Regina, SK - daughter of John Fehr and Emma Darling; children, Elissa Dwyer, Natasha Salter (Ryan Salter) and Devon Henderson; grandchild, Riley Dolinski; his siblings, Vern (Deb) Henderson, David (Arlene) Henderson, Cheryl Henderson, and Wes (Kara-Lee) Henderson; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Brian's lifelong dream was to become a commercial pilot and after several years of school, he received his pilot's license in 1977. His previous work life included owning and managing several businesses such as the Midale Liquor Store and Sooters Studio in Abbotsford. He also managed the SAAN store for twenty years, became a part-time limo bus driver and at the age of 55, he changed careers and became a semi-truck driver in Saskatchewan. In 1980, Brian met the love of his life, Christine, at the Soo Hotel in Weyburn where he was bartending. In May of 1981, after several months of being separated, he showed up in his cherry red corvette stingray in Abbotsford, BC, captured Christine's heart once again and they opened up a photography studio together. Brian and Christine moved to several towns and cities throughout their life together. In 1982, they moved to Brandon, then back to Weyburn where Christine became pregnant. In 1983, they moved to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, where Brian continued his career with the SAAN store and they gave birth to their first child, Elissa. In 1985, they moved to Cochrane, AB, where their second child, Natasha was born. In 1987, they were transferred to Kenora, ON, where they had their third child, Devon. And again in 1993, Brian and the family accepted another transfer to Regina, SK, where Brian helped build and design the new SAAN store in Regina and worked there until it closed in 2001. In January 2013, Brian fell off the back of his truck and broke his neck. From that moment forward his life had changed forever. He was diagnosed with stage four metastatic prostate cancer and became an inspiration to everyone, including the oncologists and staff at the Palliative Care Unit in the Pasqua hospital. Brian was known for his goofy sense of humour and terrible dad jokes. He was most known for his Chevy Chase, Tim the Tool Man Taylor (clumsiest man alive) reputation. Several people have memories of his misfortunes and accidents and he miraculously survived them all. A few incidents from the past include: a time when he was on the roof of the house and he lost the ladder when he was home alone so he had to crawl through the window on the top floor to let himself back in. Another time he was fixing the back of the refrigerator, got electrocuted and flew back against the kitchen cupboard. There was another incident where he fell from the roof inside the garage and landed on top of one of the vehicles, luckily he did not break any bones but required a trip to the hospital. These stories are endless. Brian’s interests included playing with his grandson, flying airplanes, eating pepperoni pizza and lasagna, fishing, Elton John, Tom Selleck, James Bond, Formula 1 Racing, driving his wife crazy, rolling cigarettes, playing guitar and piano, rescuing and being the designated driver for his intoxicated children, having philosophical conversations until 2 a.m., working, and vacationing in British Columbia. He was best known for saying, "Don't tell your mom" and inspiring his children with words of wisdom, "Nothing is impossible, you just haven't found a way to do it yet." To honour his memory and celebrate his life, an informal Memorial Service will be held at the Speers Family Centre, 2333 Cornwall Street, Regina, SK, on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made, in memoriam, to Regina Palliative Care Inc. 4F-4101 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, SK, S4T 1A5. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the Palliative care team who for the past four years, have become a crucial part of Brian and Christine’s life and our family. We would especially like to thank Dr. Amjad, Dr. Johnson, Sandra Goodman – Chartier (Social Worker), Lynn McKenzie (Social Worker), Melinda Van Hove (Musical Therapist), Jennifer Holtslander (Chaplain) and all of the Palliative Home Care Nurses.