Captain Brian A. McKay

Captain Brian McKay - age 51, Lake Echo NS, passed away in the Palliative Care Unit of the VG Hospital, Halifax on 06 Jan 2019 with his loving wife and devoted USAR K9 team members by his side, after stoically enduring pancreatic cancer. Brian is survived by his ever-loving wife, Heather, and the true apple of his eye, his daughter Katie He is also survived by his parents Joseph & Sherrian McKay (Mineville); brothers Lawerence (Cindy) (Mineville) and Michael (Joy) (Eaglesham AB), and many loved and cherished nieces and nephews. Brian was a graduate of Eastern Shore District High School and the Halifax Vocational School (Electronics Technician Program). As a young man Brian joined the military reserve force and was a member of 723 Communications Squadron and served as a radio technician. His early working life included the positions of life raft repair tech, ocean sonobouy tech, data communications equipment tech, IT cable infrastructure installation and 911 operator. Brian served as a volunteer firefighter for 5 years before becoming a career firefighter in 2000. Brian served with dedication. He especially enjoyed his time serving with the USAR CAN-TF5 Halifax K9 team with his chocolate lab Abby. Brian was an avid outdoorsman from a young age enjoying interests including hiking, hunting, fishing, trapping, boating and SCUBA diving. He enjoyed serving with the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue. Brian’s wife sends a huge thank you to all of the firefighters who supported him through his illness. The visits, phone calls, emails and texts and sitting with him during chemo treatments truly buoyed him up. The steady stream of visitors to his bedside in palliative care is appreciated beyond measure. Of worthy note is the commitment of his USAR CAN-TF5 Halifax K9 team members who had regular coffee shop visits between chemo treatments, and then stood vigil by his bedside during his final days through to the moment of his passing. The support Brian received was truly profound. Special thanks to Christian Ruel for the video legacy he created about Brian’s career. Visitation will be held on Sunday 13 January from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm in A. L. Mattatall Funeral Home, 217 Portland St., Dartmouth NS. Funeral service will be held on Monday 14 January at the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints, 44 Cumberland Drive, Cole Harbour NS at 10:30 am. Online condolences may be viewed or sent to: www.mattatallfuneralhome.com