Brian Childres is a quiet man, a hard worker, a husband, a father, a cat person, a mechanic, an architect at heart, a truck lover , a Chevy man for life, a lover of the outdoors, and a family man.
On January 8, 2014, our lives changed forever when Brian fell two stories on concrete while working on roofs. This fall severed his spinal cord, shattered his ribs and sternum, caused a subdural hematoma, bruised his heart, collapsed one lung, and resulted in permanent paralysis from the chest down. Brian will require months of rehab, physical therapy, and at home extensive remodeling for wheelchair access in the entries like doorways, bathrooms and kitchens, and more.
To his wife, Pam: Brian is my husband, my rock, my best friend, my EVERYTHING. He is the other half of me and together we make a whole.
Brian and I met in the summer of ’77 – he proposed to me on September 23rd were waiting in a long line to see the original Star Wars! That movie will always hold a special place in my heart. We honeymooned in Northern California where I learned to fish – I always caught more fish than Brian, but he will never admit it!
We were blessed with 2 children, Jennifer on 03/02/79, and Timothy on 01/28/81, and they are the light of Brian’s life. When the kids were young we spent our vacations camping in the desert and riding 4-wheelers.
Brian loves being a family man, husband and father.
To his daughter, Jennifer: He is my dad. My hero. My guardian angel. My savior. My mechanic. The person whose opinion matters most in the world. No matter what I do, I know he loves me and is proud of me. I’ll always be his little girl, a hug from my dad always made my day complete; and to this day I wish I could still crawl onto his lap and get a giant bear hug before bed every night. His hugs let me know that everything was going to be alright.
My parents have the biggest and kindest hearts of anyone I know. They are quick to forgive and willing to give their last dollar to help those they love. No matter what they go through as a couple, they are always willing to take in strays – be it cats, friends and even their own grown children. They have saved my brother and me countless times – we know we can always go home – and I don’t mean to a house or building, I mean my parents are home to us. They are the very definition of unconditional love.
To his son, Tim: Superdad.
My dad has been telling me my whole life that I’ve always had to learn the hard way and boy is that the truth! So how many times he has given me advice and I blew it off like yesterday’s news. As it turns out, I can’t think of one single time that I was right and he was wrong. Even to this day I fight his words of wisdom and learned the hard way, as usual, that those words were given with love and truth.
My dad and I have been working together for some time now and even when we don’t see eye to eye I’ve have learned to take a step back and realize the he has been there and done that and I have the privilege of working side by side with him and the opportunity to learn from the amount of priceless knowledge and skill he has obtained throughout his life.
Just when I think my dad is getting up there in age and his wonderful familiar beard is getting too gray, he surprises and amazes me and makes me respect him for the man that he is and always has been. He can make the most out of every situation and always makes me feel like everything is going to be alright. I can honestly say that if someday I can say that I am even half the man that my dad is, I will be happy and know I’ve lived a good life.
You have made me the happiest kid alive and proud to be your son. You will always be my hero, dad.
