Family reflects on Brian Donovan’s life

CTV’s Krista Simpson hears from the brother of a man who died after an assault in Uptown Waterloo.

A Bayfield, Ont. man, who died after an assault in Uptown Waterloo in the hours following the Super Bowl, is being remembered as a kind, friendly and welcoming person.

Brian Donovan’s family shared a photo of him taken by his wife just hours before his fatal injury. Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 8 was also Donovan’s 62^nd birthday, and he was heading to Waterloo Region to watch the game.

“He sat down for a minute to relax just before he left. The two dogs just went to him. [His wife] says, ‘Picture time!’ [and] snapped the picture, not realizing that that maybe was the last picture of him alive in our family photo album,” recalled Kevin Donovan, Brian’s older brother.

Brian was better known by his childhood nickname “Bugs.” He spent his birthday and Super Bowl Sunday with a group of friends.

“One or two of the guys said he was kind of holding court there because he’s quite a storyteller and jokester in among his friend group,” Kevin told CTV News.

Kevin says Brian then left the group to go to a restaurant on King Street North. He said that’s where the incident happened.

“It was a single punch to the side of the head,” Kevin said. “So he went down, hit his head.”

Emergency responders were called to an establishment in the area of King Street North near Young Street West around 12:45 a.m., on Monday, Feb. 9.

Brian was found unconscious with a head injury. He was taken to hospital where he died the following day, surrounded by loved ones.

“When he passed, there were 11 of us in the ICU room with them, which is very unusual. Five of those people were friends, the rest of us were family. So, very heartfelt goodbyes from them,” Kevin said.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, Waterloo Regional Police charged a 37-year-old Kitchener man with manslaughter.

Kevin said the family doesn’t know a lot about the circumstances around Brian’s fatal injury, as the case continues to make its way through the courts. The accused is next scheduled to appear in May.

But Kevin said as far as the family knows, the man and Brian were strangers.

“They had no prior engagements, knowledge, interactions of any kind that we know of,” Kevin said.

Though Brian lived in Bayfield, he was well known in Waterloo Region, the community where he grew up and maintained a large circle of friends.

He also met numerous people through his job at the Uptown Waterloo LCBO, before his retirement. Kevin said Brian would take care of the orders for restaurants and bars all along King Street in the Uptown area.

Brian is also being remembered for his love of sports and travel, often combining both by attending various sporting events while visiting different cities.

His brother said Brian was someone who was friendly and welcoming.

“He would always make that extra side trip or detour to try some new food or go visit a friend or go visit a relative,” Kevin recalled.

“He was just one of those kinds of people who’d strike up a conversation with anybody. And, that was just -- that was just him.”

A private funeral for family is being planned, followed by a celebration of life for friends to attend in May.