Obituary of Brian Robert Phillips
It is with deep love and heavy hearts that we share the sudden and unexpected passing of Brian Robert Phillips on October 28, 2025, at Kingston General Hospital.
Brian was born in Whitehorse, Yukon on April 11,1952 to Lawrence and Louise Phillips. Brian and his mom had a very special relationship which was strengthened by her recent move to Ontario from Vancouver, so Brian could ensure she was well cared for. Being born into a military family, Brian lived in several different areas of Canada, settling in Vancouver as a young adult.
Brian met and fell in love with his bride, Dianne Phillips (Haskin), in 1980 because, he said, “she was adventurous, liked boulder hopping and enjoyed motorcycling”. Upon their marriage in 1982, the couple moved to Rockport, Ontario where Brian was lovingly welcomed into the Haskin family. Brian himself was very adventurous, enjoying sky diving, scuba diving, snorkelling, downhill skiing and rock climbing. Brian was a music enthusiast, something that stemmed from his days as a drummer in a Vancouver band. He had an acute appreciation for all kinds of music, regularly attending concerts, symphonies, and ballets.
Brian began his working career with Canada Post in B.C. before going on to become Project Manager for General Electric, responsible for all of British Columbia and Alberta. Later, he became one of the first three people in Canada to become a Certified Systems Engineer which led him to teach, train and write courses for Microsoft. Brian travelled across Canada and the U.S., teaching computer networking courses for large companies. He had a passion for learning and was self taught in areas such as graphic design, woodworking, welding, photography, lighting, gadgetry, engineering, photo restoration and so much more.
Brian owned and operated Outcraft Services Inc, established in 1990 until 2014. Outcraft did computer training, graphic design and interpretive sign research and design. He became a local historian in Leeds and the Thousand Islands, researching, designing and creating over 20 interpretive signs erected throughout several villages. He was the driving force behind numerous projects that will have a long-lasting impact on several communities. These included creating The First Glass Works Exhibit in Mallory Coach House for which he and the team he worked with, received the President’s Award from the Ontario Historical Society, “Plying the River” exhibit in the 1000 Islands History Museum, and he played a vital part in the initial acquisition of Rockport Customs Park. After much research and organizing, Brian with his tremendous passion, had the great pleasure of organizing a first-class event presenting “The Little Canadian’ (1955), one of the earliest coloured feature films, set in the Thousand Islands, to a huge audience. The event brought together many family members of the original cast including Sarah Polly whose mother was a main character in the film. Sarah and other cast members’ families had never seen the film before. It seems there was nothing that Brian could not accomplish.
Brian was a natural teacher and a skilled communicator. Numerous people called upon Brian for his wealth of knowledge, graphic design skills and his expertise relating to computers and historical information.
Brian created incredible presentations on a variety of topics. One notable subject was the building of the Thousand Islands Bridge. Brian, an outstanding presenter, shared amazing photographs and fascinating information about the bridge to an appreciative and enthusiastic audience of over 250 people and later, to a huge outdoor crowd of hundreds at the 80th Anniversary of the bridge held at Collin’s Landing. Brian was passionate about everything he did, always setting high standards and needing to be perfect.
Brian leaves a big hole in the heart of his loving, devoted wife of 43 years, Dianne, who will be lost without him. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He will also be deeply missed by his mother Louise, his brother Eric (Cindy) of Vernon, B.C., mother-in-law Marilyn Haskin, brother-in-law Wade (Ingrid), sisters-in-law Sandra Warren (Calvin) and Cheryl Grusnick (Dick). He was adored by numerous nieces and nephews as Brian enjoyed making all their times together special and fun.
A celebration of Brian’s life will be held at Barclay’s Funeral Home in Brockville on November 15, 1 until 4. Sharing of memories at 2 p.m. Donations can be made to Rockport Recreation Hall or Friends of Rockport Customs Park.
