Walking Again with help from afar!

John Brian Hughes lived an extraordinary life full of family (there are a lot of Hugheses), adventure, love and lettuce. Born on April 28, 1942 to parents Joseph and Thomasena, Brian joined big sister Sally who has remained his steadfast friend and confidant through the years and across oceans. Joseph Hughes remarried Mary Hayes after Thomasena’s tragic passing when Brian was five and Mary raised both Brian and Sally as her own along with 11 more brothers and sisters all while she ran the legendary Hughes Drapers in Athy, Co, Kildare. Brian made many friends in Athy who he shared travels and adventures with and remained friends with his whole life—the Otts, Malones and myriad others--even beyond the shores of Ireland.

Brian qualified from University College Dublin with an Honours Science degree in Botany, hence his love of nature and all things organic. This education would eventually lead to blissful afternoons spent chasing pigs off restaurant lawns and knowing more about the lifecycle of composting microbes than really necessary.

A move to Canada, a poor fashion choice (he wore a brown suit to his final IBM interview, and therefore did not get the job. Just think. We all could have got in quick for the “dotcom” boom and been driving ferarris now if he had just worn charcoal), a job at Calgon (in Kingston) and a winter in Toronto all made Brian realize that sludge was terrible and chemicals were awful and so he followed friends Bryan Dykes and Tom Henry out west to Vancouver. The entire Henry family remained very special to Dad throughout his life.

He obtained his Real Estate license in the early 70s and high-flying deals and bachelor-life debauchery (none of which was ever admitted to but there are whispers and there were cowboy boots located) ensued. A honing of his tennis skills at Jericho Tennis Club was eventually followed by the inevitable meeting of the love of his life, Daphne Tommis. Specific details about this meeting have been hotly debated over the years, but something about gin and tonics and tennis. A fabulous life of friends and dinner parties, children (Michael, Sarah and David) and labradors, trips to Thetis Island and the kind of parties where you were allowed to throw a pile of coats on a bed for children to sleep on and then forget whose was whose (children included), eventually lead to organic farming.

In 1987 Brian transported his fancy wife and city kids from Vancouver to North Saanich and never regretted it a day in his life. Well I don’t know that but the chickens in the living room added “texture” and none of the pigs was actually caught by the chef down the road. Kildara Farms is Dad’s legacy of love, determination and what it looks like when your wife is just enthusiastic/crazy enough to support your dreams but also remember that children require feeding every day. Brian considered it the ultimate happiness that all three children chose to continue to farm and each met wonderful partners who had enough imagination to see the dream! The farm stands as a testament to everything Dad loved, natural beauty, fabulous food and his grandchildren teasing their ‘Pops” and keeping him on his toes. He mentored anyone who asked, cared passionately for organic growing, and left the world a far better place because he was in it—left all of us better people, because we were the chosen few---of all the billions of people in the world—to call some part of him “ours”. Some of you learned that honesty isn’t the “best policy” it’s the “only policy” from him, some of you learned what it felt like to get smacked in the back of the head by a strawberry that is such a perfect combination of mouldy gooeyness and shape-holding throwability that it stuck so determinedly into your hair follicles your suds are still pinkish. All lessons have equal value, it just depends on the perspective.

The last three years saw Dad in a brand-new role as everyone adjusted and adjusted and adjusted to Mum having major brain surgery to remove a brain tumor. This necessitated a huge change as Dad suddenly had to do a few things around the house that Mum used to do for him, which was all of the things. During Mum’s 7 months in hospital Dad was most proud of the fact that we never let her have one single day in hospital without a visitor and that he trained the new pup “Liffey” to sit and wait for her dinner until she was told to eat it. This had the unfortunate side effect of a few panicky moments from the dog when Dad would forget to expressly tell her to eat!

Dad’s commitment to Mum, his marriage and his family were second to none, and as he continues to help us in whatever form that is, he asked that people do not send flowers or cards, but if they want to help him continue to help Daphne learn to walk as she navigates a new normal without her biggest cheerleader (and fetcher of all things dropped), a wonderful friend has honored his wishes and helped set up this to specifically pay for the ongoing rehabilitation therapies, care, and living arrangements so Daphne can stay cared for in the home they built together as she continues her journey to walk again. There is a space for a note—you can leave a note without donating, words of encouragement, funny stories you can share with us about Dad, all of it helps get through this life without the best Dad that ever Dadded.

Dad passed away peacefully on January 2, as we thanked him for what he has given us and leaving the world a better place than he found it. He was cremated and celebration of Brian will be held on April 28, 2025 in the afternoon PST, details to follow.

Thank you to everyone’s incredible support.