Bernard "Barney" Joseph Cawood Brend

He never used his real name. Everyone just knew him as Barney, BB, or “Bud” as a child.

He died in Qualicum Manor on April 13, 2026, just two months shy of his 90th birthday ending a long fight with dementia. Until the end he bid “How-dy!” to all the amazing staff who cared for him.

Family and friends:

Barney leaves his loving partner of 26 years, Debra Sjogren; his ex-wife of 38 years Terri Elston (Ray); his two daughters, Yvette Brend (Curt Petrovich) and Denise Brend (Simon Thibaudeau); his beloved grandchildren: Ellie, Daniel, and Benjamin; and nephews Scott (Kim) and Paul (Deanna) Brend.

He will be remembered by longtime friends Bob and Donna Lee, Ken and Michelle Nott, Nick Klompas, Judy and Kirk Olson.

And, so many more, gone before him.

A life well lived:

Barney made an impression in every chapter of his life. He went from prankster teen to poster-boy aircraft technician in his early 20s. He served in Europe and North Africa for the Royal Canadian Air Force. All his life, you might find him basking in the sun, reminiscing about lying on the wing of an aircraft “like a turtle on a hot rock.” At the end of his military career, he was stationed in the town of Cold Lake, Alberta. It was there that he met Thérèse Marie Dupuis.

They married and later moved from Victoria to Seattle, Washington.

Barney was an innovator chosen by Boeing and Lockheed to help develop one of the first hydrofoil. Top secret at the time. Despite offers of an ongoing U.S. career, he chose to return to Victoria to raise his family. Back home he connected with childhood friends and built communications businesses. He installed industrial satellite towers and radio systems up-and-down Vancouver Island. He travelled many a logging road and all points in between — Cowichan to Port Alberni — alone in his truck with his music, often stopping to share a tomato sandwich — gloppy like he liked it — with a raven friend.

In the final years of Barney’s Electronic Services, before the digital age washed over his industry, he created an electronic message relay system to alert if a worker got hurt or faced trouble in the bush. An innovator until his last project.

Barney was a man of many versions. None were boring. He was in perpetual motion.

He was a member of Upland’s Golf Club for 40 years and often fished off his boat. He once installed a satellite dish on a telephone pole, in the backyard — probably illegal — so he painted it to blend in with the trees. He decided to dig a pool another year — so he rented a small digger and made the hole. He was generous, often picking up sketchy hitchhikers or giving away tools or money if he thought he could give someone a leg up.

Barney worked until he dropped. He drank just as hard. He liked guns. And he had a flair for living the way he wanted. He’d smile, and with a glint in his eye, make clear that anybody who didn’t like it could, “go forth and reproduce.”

Whatever his flaws, Barney loved and celebrated family, “your success is my success,” he would beam.

And he was quick with a hard hug and solace for any setback.

“That’s ok, you’ll get it next time, you just need some time to lick your wounds.”

When things didn’t go well he’d say: “What you lose on the corners you make up on the straight-aways,” never one to get hung up on the details.

He was the best person to tell you good news.

“Great snakes! Well, it doesn’t get any better than that does it?!”

Saying goodbye:

Barney — known for curiosity and boundless energy — will be missed. His love ran deep.

All who loved him are comforted that he will no longer be living with dementia.

He will be remembered for the love he made us feel, his irreverent humour, his quirky imagination, holding his leathery hand, and the way he would sing under his breath as he went about his day.

L’Chaim Grumpah!

An interment is planned at Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria on July 6 at 11 a.m., followed by a small gathering of Barney’s friends and family.

In lieu of flowers please take a moment to enjoy nature or donate to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | https://www.camh.ca/