Brian Ernest Hall

February 4, 1953 to December 25, 2016

Optimistic and pragmatic to the end, Brian died after an exhausting tussle with pancreatic cancer, aged 63. He is survived by his wife Vivienne (nee Roberts), the love of his life and his very best friend, and their two sons Andrew and Robert, of whom he was immensely proud. He was predeceased by his mother and father, Mavis (nee Appleton) and Ernie Hall.

Brian was born in Ladysmith, South Africa and spent his childhood in his beloved home town of Colenso. He paid tribute to the town in a piece he wrote called “Memories of a Colenso Childhood”. After his military service, he studied at the University of Natal where he discovered his lifelong interest in geotechnical engineering. In 2000 he completed an M.Eng. at the University of British Columbia.

Brian’s work experience was broad, ranging from railway, harbour and geotechnical engineering at the SA Railways to consulting geotechnical engineering in five different firms in three countries. In his final role he was Chief Engineer at Tetra Tech EBA. Brian was passionate about his profession and got huge pleasure from mentoring others and sharing his broad and diverse knowledge in numerous technical publications.

He had a curious and creative mind and had many interests extending beyond his work. He loved exploring new places and had a fascination for the local history wherever he lived. He enjoyed collecting art, especially Black South African art, and built up an impressive book collection covering his many and varied interests.

True to his character, he met the cancer challenge head on, and it became his last and biggest project. He kept himself positive by having goals stretching out to 2020. He epitomized the Cecil Rhodes death bed quote, “so much to do, so little time”.

In addition to his immediate family, Brian leaves behind his brother Kenneth (Ina), his extended family in South Africa, Canada, and England, and many friends and colleagues in South Africa, the US, Canada and elsewhere.

A memorial service will be held on January 19, 2017 at 2pm, at Boal Chapel, 1505 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver.

Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services, North Vancouver, BC.