BRIAN MURRAY KNUDSEN

Condolences & Memories (23 entries)

• I first met Brian when he gave a talk on hybridization in gulls on Baffin Island at the AOU meeting in Winnipeg. His results were ground-breaking because this was a situation where complete reproductive isolation was assumed to exist among the 4 gull species involved. For the next few years several of us tried to get Brian's results published, but they did not become public until they were published in 1989 by Richard Snell. Brian was a courageous and solid colleague and I always admired him. I am sorry to hear of his passing. - Posted by: Raymond Pierotti (Friend and Colleague) on: Jun 10, 2025

• When I was about 16 years old, my mom first starting seeing Brian. She brought him over for dinner one evening so I could meet him for the first time. I remember my first impressions were that he was kind and smart, one of those people that seem to know a little bit about everything. What stood out to me even more than those things, were his sharp wit and his sarcastic sense of humor, which were right up my ally. Afterwards when it was just my mother and I, she asked me what I thought of him, without a second thought I said, “I like him.” Brian quickly became part of our family. Brian became familiar with the raucous back-and-forth disagreements in our household which often involved a lot of bargaining and compromise, he dubbed us the “Hanlan Street Debating Society” and got matching t-shirts made for us. I still have mine. Many years later in my early 20’s I decided that I wanted to try and take up guitar. Brian bought me an acoustic for my birthday, and not being very musical thus far in my life, Brian came over for the next few Sundays to teach me some chords. He also wrote me some helpful notes with pictures. The advice he gave me was, “never bring your guitar to a party”, and he recounted a time when he brought his sax to a party and put a small dent in it by accidently running into a doorframe. Learning guitar was harder than I thought and nothing ended up sticking but we had a good time. Maybe I’ll try again someday, I still have the notes. Years later, in my second year of university I found out I had to take a compulsory math course, I chose statistics. I was pretty freaked out about the class as I had never been very good at math in high school and was afraid it might bring down my GPA. I found out that Brian was familiar with statistics, and there were many evenings where I would call him, probably too late at night, freaking out about one of the statistics problems. He was very calm about it and would say he would take a look at it the following day and get back to me; I would scan the page in my text and email it over to him. When I was stuck on something his explanations always seemed to help and I ended up doing pretty well in the class, maybe too well. After the term was over I received a letter in the mail congratulating me on my high marks, then to my horror, the letter suggested that I should major in statistics and become a statistician. I told Brian about it and we had a good laugh, he told me that I should keep the letter and have it framed. I still have it and I think I finally will frame it. We love you Brian, and we will miss you very much. - Posted by: Heather Trachsel (daughter of Rosemary Dzus (wife)) on: Jul 29, 2022

• I'm so very sorry that Brian has been stolen from you in this way. It's hard to think of such a vibrant person being so vulnerable and mortal, as we all are in the end. I will always remember Brian's humour and intelligence, his mischievousness, his deep curiosity about new things. We have been missing you two in Eastend. Now I'll miss Brian in that most final of ways.  - Barbara Klar, Eastend - Posted by: Barbara Klar (friend) on: Mar 01, 2022

• We are so, so, so sorry to hear about Brian.  Our hearts are breaking for you. I am glad you were all able to be with him and it was peaceful.  Brian was such a lovely, nice person and always so interested in everything and everyone.  Though we hadn’t seen much of you lately, we both considered him a good friend and will miss him.   Janet Moore and Glen Suggett, Portage la Prairie, MB - Posted by: Janet Moore/Glen Suggett (friends, co-workers) on: Mar 01, 2022

• I wanted to share some memories of Brian which are vivid to me: • Going with Brian and Mom to the Upstairs Jazz bar in Montreal. That was a fun time. • Hiking up Mount Royal with Brian and mom, and getting slightly lost on the way back down. • Discussing the local mobsters in Montreal and enjoying a Shawinigan Handshake beer with mom and Brian • Going to Luckett Vineyards in Nova Scotia with mom & Brian. The ‘air cannons’ to scare away the birds from the vineyards were amusing. I enjoyed sharing some wine that I brought back from Spain with them on the same trip. • Being introduced to Jazz musicians like Dave Brubeck by Brian • Discussing polar explorers with terrible leadership skills (eg. Scott and Franklin) and contrasting them with explorers with good leadership skills (eg. Shackleton and Amundsen) • Getting Brian’s help with bird identification. • Calling gulls “seagulls” within earshot of Brian to get a reaction • Asking Brian Arctic questions and hearing Brian’s Arctic stories • Sharing my Arctic adventure stories with Brian. • Asking Brian questions about animals and ‘biology stuff’, and having him occasionally make up an answer and deliver it ‘deadpan’ • Field guides and multi-tools as Christmas presents from Mom and Brian • Brian getting irked when I mentioned that I thought Black Flag was a band for ‘younger people’ (or something like that). Oops. • Brian as a resource on hunting, firearms, knives, tools, camping and wilderness stuff….I still have his emails for technical references • Taking a ferry and going cycling on Pelee Island with Mom, Brian, Simon and Heather. • Hiking at Point Pelee with mom, Brian, Simon and Heather. The waves and bird action were incredible! Cabins along the shore looked pretty risky. Our fish dinner afterward was very delicious. • Getting in trouble from Brian for using torrents to download music/movies back when that was a thing…Oops. • Hearing about ‘frisky Bison’ after one of mom & Brian’s trips • Hiking around Nova Scotia and discussing high tides with Mom & Brian. • Staying at a B & B in Nova Scotia and looking at fancy old Nova Scotian homes. • Some very lovely seafood dinners in Nova Scotia with Mom & Brian – thinking about our dinner stop in Lunenburg and the lobster dinner in Wolfville. • Brian enjoying Mom’s cooking and him making ‘mmm’ noises. • Reading excerpts from ‘Reloading Manual Number 9’ to Brian in his last days to thank him for imparting his knowledge of firearms. I wish I could still ask him questions. • Brian’s love of saxophones • Brian’s love for mom and their fun ‘retirement adventures.’ My friends were impressed by their travel. • Brian’s story of the pistol he traded for the Ruger he gave me, and his knowledge and precise notes on reloading. • Impressing Brian when I used some basic computer programming to get a PC printer to work with my Mac • Talking about ‘fuzzy logic’ and feedback loops with Brian. • Brian’s enjoyment of the Crown Royal distillery and ‘whiskey train’ in Gimli, and tales of his dad doing some ‘delivery work’ in the days of prohibition. • Having fish and chips on the beach in Gimli on my last visit in August. • Brian lending me a book on Kosovo after my trip to Croatia (I think?) (oops, still not done and that was 9 years ago…) I will miss Brian’s wit, kindness and knowledge at our future Christmases and special events. I am grateful that I was able to visit this August (2020). I have not fully settled into accepting the loss of Brian and look forward to sharing more memories of him in person when we have the opportunity to celebrate his life. - Amelia Trachsel, Coquitlam, BC - Posted by: Amelia Trachsel (daughter of Rosemary Dzus (wife) ) on: Feb 25, 2022

• I feel so fortunate to have met you both and spent such fond, entertaining and instructive time with you. Brian was (so unreal to use the past tense) such a dear and remarkable man - as curious as he was knowledgeable, with a kind of generous innocence that is so rare to encounter and which I admired very deeply. When we lose a friend we lose their memories, the untold stories; but the stories they did share with us are ours to hold in trust. I so treasure the stories that I heard from Brian’s lips – transported by them as I was to the cliffs of the high Arctic, to the birds and beasts and the weather there, with even some wry tales of skulduggery by a couple of scientists less honourable than he was himself. He made a world that I have never been to a part of my own experience, which is what artists, writers like myself, hope to do for our readers.  I am blessed to have spent those evenings with Rosemary and Brian in this little Saskatchewan valley where they alighted for a year, those birds of passage, and left behind gifts of laughter, friendship and art. I shall miss and remember with the same vividness the hours where a glass or two or three led us on journeys as sublime as quantum physics, and as goofy as misnamed saxophones. It was so easy to open up to Brian (and I am by nature a shy and private person) because he was so open. He was, I think, the most guileless, uncalculating man I have ever known. With that came his boyish curiosity and enthusiasm for new things: new knowledge, new science, new writers – some people truly are young at heart, for whom the world never loses its wonder. So it seems unthinkable that he is no longer with us, and I grieve immeasurably for Rosemary and for the family and friends who knew him for longer and I’m sure more deeply than I was privileged to. The stories he told me me are safely in my trust, and my Irish farewell to that dear, gentle man is "Remember us in your dreams." - Seán Virgo, Eastend, SK - Posted by: Seán Virgo (friend) on: Feb 24, 2022

• I have so often thought of the life you two chose for yourselves -- living in different parts of Canada, immersing yourselves in in local matters. It was such a good idea..I am so glad that Eastend was one of your choices. You both brought much to the community and left us all enriched. I can’t drive past “your” house without remembering so many good times,. Delicious shared meals, shared ideas, good scotch whiskey, book title exchanges, the Houses of Eastend project. I was, and am, much in awe of your decision to ‘hit the road’ and live such an unencumbered life. -- Mary Thomson, Eastend, SK - Posted by: Mary Thomson (friend) on: Feb 21, 2022

•  Bless Brian's soul - he was such a curious and seeking person. It makes me sad to know he's no longer in this world. - Diana Svennes-Smith Edmonton, AB - Posted by: Diana Svennes-Smith (friend) on: Feb 09, 2022

• Brian was one of a kind and he will be greatly missed. - Nicole Firlotte - Posted by: Nicole Firlotte (friend) on: Feb 09, 2022

• Brian was one of the best people in my life – and in this world! I have such fond memories of him when he was in graduate school in Missoula – and our conversations over the years since – and our last get-together in Miles City. I treasured getting to meet his parents and his sister Dorthea on my only trip to Winnipeg. So sorry I didn’t make it another time. My thoughts are with you. I know he leaves behind much love – and he showed us all how to be a better person – living, loving, and laughing. - Roberta Cauthron, Montana - Posted by: Roberta Cauthron (friend) on: Feb 08, 2022

• I was just thinking of him the other day and how much fun we had conducting the moose survey in Northern Manitoba now that another one is shortly upon us. His sense of wonder and professionalism will be sorely missed.  - Rob Berger - Posted by: Rob Berger (friend) on: Feb 05, 2022

• He was always a pleasure to work with, had a great positive attitude, was so knowledgeable, and was a really nice human being. He will be missed. - Rachel Boone - Posted by: Rachel Boone (co-worker ) on: Feb 05, 2022

• Brian was one of my favourite people I have met through work. As you likely know we kept in touch after he retired and he told me about your wonderful adventures. We shared a love for music, wine and wildlife, and he always made me envious of the wonderful places you were living and life experiences you were enjoying. So wonderful you got to enjoy such great times.  - Vicki Trim - Posted by: Vicki Trim (friend) on: Feb 05, 2022

• The news about Brian was a terrible shock, and Carol and I send you our deepest condolences.  You two were in our little community for only a year as part of your cross Canada odyssey, but -wow- did you make an impression!  Brian-and-Rosemary, Rosemary-and-Brian - you were on everybody’s lips of favourite people to talk about (in the best of ways) and talk to.  As a couple, your adventurousness and friendly inquisitiveness made us feel complimented and willing to risk a few excursions that we’d been putting off.  The fact that you two knew my hometown was instrumental to my visiting there for the first time in a long time, and I will be forever grateful. I felt a particularly close bond to Brian, partly because he reminded me of the uncle after whom I was named. Physically they were of similar build, hairstyle and colouring, but, more importantly, there was the warm friendliness, the interest in other people, and the desire to know things about what you liked, what you did, what you thought.  Brian was a delight to be with, open-minded, highly knowledgeable, a person who listened.  He also had great stories to tell about adventures with seagulls - pardon me, I mean gulls (Brian would be very displeased by my calling them “seagulls”) - on the east coast, in the Arctic, and elsewhere. His love of small towns with strong cultures, wildlife, good books, history, certainly geography, local beers and distilled delights, learning French, the men’s cooking club in Deux-Montagnes ... we exchanged handwritten letters, for goodness sake.  He was a man of the past, the present, the land and the nation, which he loved openheartedly.  No wonder he lived in Manitoba, equidistant from all three oceans. Our heartfelt sympathies to you and to Brian’s children and grandchildren. Carol and Gordon Wetmore, Deux-Montagnes, Quebec (friends) - Posted by: Gord and Carol Wetmore, Deux-Montagnes, QC (friends) on: Feb 03, 2022

• I know he was happy he got to spend the last few years having adventures with you. When we came to your show in the Little Creekside Gallery, he confessed to me that he was happy we liked your work because he was a big fan himself. It was adorable. - Jane Harrington, Nova Scotia (friend) - Posted by: Jane Harrington, Nova Scotia (friend ) on: Feb 03, 2022

• It is so sad that we are so far in spirit I will be with you, dear Rosemary. Brian will be missed by many. He was such a jolly person.  I will remember fondly of him; wish  I could be at  his  service. I will take this time to think of you both in prayer to say goodbye to him and  I will also have you in my thoughts dear Rosemary and also his family who will miss him. Please tell his family even though that I do not know them I like to give my sincere condolences; and to you, I wish that all the things you did together will comfort you. Sending you my love Erika Schleider, Deux-Montagnes, QC (friend) - Posted by: Erika Schleider (friend) on: Feb 03, 2022

• He was a wonderful man in so many ways it is difficult to know where to begin. He created a sea of friendship in all his travels who will no doubt feel his loss deeply. Bev Bliss, Nova Scotia (friend) - Posted by: Bev Bliss (friend) on: Feb 03, 2022

• Brian and I had many cups of coffee at the Wildlife Branch tables at 1495 St. James St. and 200 Saulteaux. We shared database management tips and a love of music. I made him a custom wood turning object once. He was always upbeat, smiling and enthusiastic about life. I will always have good memories of him. - Posted by: Walt Lysack (work associate ) on: Oct 11, 2021

• Peace to you Brian. Just heard about your passing. Brian and I met when we were in the same Grade 11 room at Kelvin. We reconnected as undergrads in Science at the U of M. We occasionally played handball together, 50 years later, we exchanged emails and Brian apologized for running into me while playing handball. I had the distinct pleasure of letting him know I did not take it personally, Thank you for your friendship. - Posted by: Vilnis Vulfs (Friend) on: Aug 09, 2021

• Wanted to express my condolences to you, Rosemary, and your family. My heartfelt sympathies. I am sure Brian will be watching from above and keeping you and your family under his care. - Posted by: Violet Kernested (Friend) on: Nov 16, 2020

• Our most heartfelt condolences to the entire family, particularly Jane, Ava & Addie. We are so sorry for your loss. May you all be a comfort to each other during this difficult time. With Love, Jen & Ashleigh - Posted by: Jennifer (Friend) on: Oct 10, 2020

• My sincerest sympathies to Rosemary and family. Brian and I exchanged many experiences during coffee breaks in the Wildlife Branch not least his finding out for himself what having a dog in the family was like. He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed. - Posted by: Gordon Graham (Wildlife associate and friend) on: Oct 09, 2020

• With great sadness I can only offer my deepest condolences to Rosemary and his whole family. Nearly half a century has passed since first we met as graduate students, and although miles and our respective lives have kept us physically apart for most of that time, he has, throughout, been a dear and trusted friend. I will miss him more than I can say . . . . - Posted by: Eric Nelson (Friend) on: Oct 02, 2020