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Brownridge made mark on community

A celebration of life will be held Saturday for a noted figure in the city’s business and political scenes. Brian Ronald Brownridge died July 5 in Pentiction following a heart attack, his family said in an obituary. He was 68.
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Brian Brownridge

A celebration of life will be held Saturday for a noted figure in the city’s business and political scenes.
Brian Ronald Brownridge died July 5 in Pentiction following a heart attack, his family said in an obituary.
He was 68.
The celebration of life will be held at The Courtyard by Marriott,  900 Brunswick St., with a 1 p.m. start.
“Given his longstanding commitment to our city, in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Brian’s memory to the Prince George Community Foundation (www.pgcf.ca),” his family asked.
One of three children born to Gordon and Edythe Brownridge, he lived most of his life in Prince George after the family moved to the city in 1955. In Prince George, his father pursued a career managing and operating sawmills - starting at Eagle Lake Sawmills in Giscome, then Clearlake Sawmills.
In 1971, he became a partner in West Hill Lumber Co. Ltd. on Otway Road with Joe Korodi, and continued to work there until his death in 1988.
After pursuing a commerce degree at the University of Alberta, Brian Brownridge returned to Prince George to work for his father.
He also also been bitten by the political bug.
In 1977, at age 27, he was elected alderman, finishing fourth in the votes attracted. He did not seek re-election in 1979 but remained involved in the community – he was a member of a special committee appointed to look at options for a new swimming pool.
By 1981 he was running again, and was elected as one of five members of the so-called “Woodward’s slate” for their support of a proposal to expand Parkwood Mall rather than have the city support a downtown mall.
He remained an alderman until 1985 when he stepped down once again. But a year later, he ran for mayor against John Backhouse and George McKnight. Brownridge was first to throw his hat into the ring and could very well have won but ended up finishing 727 votes behind Backhouse.
“Backhouse counted on a coalition of support from labour, ethnic communities and a broad range of political groups for his resounding victory. His rivals divided the support of business groups and the city’s right wing,” Citizen reporter Malcolm Curtis wrote.
Backhouse also defended council’s plan for a cultural-convention centre – which became the Civic Centre and Two Rivers Gallery – something his two opponents did not support. Then-MLA and Social Credit cabinet minister Bruce Strachan, who had lobbied for provincial support of the centre, told The Citizen that Brownridge and McKnight “misread the support out there for a cultural-convention centre.”
Brownridge’s time in the political spotlight came to an end with the loss but he remained involved in the community. By 1987 he was back in the news as the honourary chair of the local Heart Foundation campaign.
On the business side, he became more involved in the operation of West Hill Lumber as his father’s health failed. In January 1989, a bit more than a half year after his father’s death, West Hill was sold to Dunkley Lumber and David Hixon.
The mill remanufactured rough lumber into specialty products, some of which ended up in California for use on movie sets. “Each month, some West Hill products are blown up on television,” The Citizen noted in a story on the sale.
That same year, he “made the leap into the insurance industry” and in 1990 opened Brownridge & Company Insurance Services Inc., in partnership with TOS Insurance Services Ltd. of Vancouver.
“In 1999, with a desire to keep the brokerage independent and locally owned, Brian Brownridge acquired the shares held by TOS, upon their decision to sell to a publicly traded insurance consolidator,” according to the business’s website.
Through his business, Brownridge developed a reputation for community giving.
Among his most notable contributions was as a member of the Kordyban Lodge Cabinet which raised $12 million for the home away from home for cancer patients while in Prince George. The goal was exceeded by $2 million and in 2012 the group was recognized by the Canadian Cancer Society with the national Circle of Distinction.
Other distinctions included sitting on the University of Northern British Columbia board of governors and the Prince George Community Foundation board. He also remained involved in politics in a peripheral way – his name would occasionally pop up in The Citizen when he felt it necessary to comment on an issue and in 2011 he contributed $2,000 to Dan Rogers’ mayoral campaign. He was also often a go-to source for Citizen reporters seeking a comment from a former council member.
“Family was everything to Brian, and to him family genuinely included his employees, clients, colleagues, and friends,” his family said in an obituary. “He will best be remembered for his thoughtfulness and generosity, as well as his love of buying in bulk. Those that knew him well would agree that while he was never shy about expressing his opinion, he was a genuine friend whose storytelling and sense of humour will be sorely missed.”
He is survived by his wife Jacy, sons Gord (Nicole) and TR (Trish) and grandsons Tate, Milo, Finn and Ewan. He was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Edythe, brother Ken, and sister Judi.