Hand, Brian John
Lovingly surrounded at home by his family on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at the age of 49. Beloved husband of Jo-Ann, devoted father of Matthew, Sarah and Emily, cherished son of Carole and Jim (predeceased), loving brother of Janice (TJ). He will be sadly missed by mother-in-law Eleanor, brothers-in-law Ed and Chris, and nephews Blake and Harry. Dearly missed by aunts Barb and Joyce and cousins Brenda and John. Brian proudly received his Bachelor of Engineering (Physics) from McMaster (1988) and both his Master’s (1990) and Doctorate (1993) degrees in Theoretical Physics from U of T. Brian’s PhD Thesis was titled Perturbative Aspects of Lower-Dimensional Gauge Theories. After graduating, Brian accepted a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph (1993-95). Brian’s first job in the financial industry was with the Bank of Nova Scotia where he was a Vice President, Trading Policy Group (1995-97). In his most current position, Brian was a Senior Derivatives Trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Brian was responsible for pricing complex deals, providing liquidity to fixed income clients, while managing risk across the fixed income universe. He was liked and respected by customers, competitors, and colleagues alike. He was known for his product knowledge, his calm and professional approach to trading, and his ability to manage multi-currency deals involving counterparties from different parts of the world. He joined Merrill in October 1997 and was one of the longest standing traders within the entire firm. Brian took joy in his family and loved being home. He lived each day fully, but with quiet, modest simplicity. He was humble beyond measure. His inner strength and perseverance allowed him to set each new personal goal and steadfastly achieve it. He was a firm believer in fitness: running 10 Around the Bays in his lifetime, enjoying the solitude of his road bike and always, always walking. He had a passion for rail trails and radial lines. Brian was an avid reader of Canadian literature and a lifelong advocate of live music. He was passionate about education and physics, a text book and problem set always nearby. He was a true gentleman and genuine family man who will be missed dearly by all. A very special thank you to every one of you who helped care for Brian, in particular the staff at JBCC, Dr. C. Litteljohn, and Carrie. Private Interment by the family at Woodland Cemetery at a later date. For those who wish, donations in Brian’s memory may be given to the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre Foundation, Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation Office, PO Box 739 LCD1, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3M8.