Obituary of Brian Joseph Flood

Brian Joseph Flood was born July 27, 1961, at the Saint John General Hospital. His parents were Joan (Kinsella) Flood, a nurse, and Dr. Harry Flood, the chief of radiology at St. Joe’s Hospital for 30 years. Brian grew up in Kennebecasis Park with his four siblings. He was no stranger to hard work and perseverance, which his parents modeled to him from a young age. This work ethic allowed him to excel both in athletics and business.

He spent many mornings rowing along the Kennebecasis River and running and biking along the Rothesay Road. He was always a very active man, right up until weeks before his death. He was a terrific athlete, and was an incredible down-hill skier, cross-country skier, runner, biker but especially rower. As a rower, he and his brother Henry won 3 Canadian and 3 U.S. National Titles.

As a proud New Brunswicker, one of his biggest accomplishments that really helped put New Brunswick on the map was the creation of Q1 Labs. In 2001 he became the business founder and CEO of tech start-up Q1 Labs, a security intelligence software firm that over a period of ten years, grew to employ hundreds of New Brunswickers. He was also the first (and only) New Brunswicker to be inducted in both the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame as well as the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in the same year (2017).

While we had a list of accomplishments a mile long, the thing that Brian was most proud of and was his crowning glory, was his family. He met his wife of 38 years at the Kennebecasis Rowing Club. They had a fairytale love affair right up until the end. In late December 2023, they saw the movie Boys on a Boat together, and this movie really resonated with Brian as he felt it captured the spirit of his relationship with Carolyn. It will always be their movie.

Brian and Carolyn had two daughters, Brittany and Meghan. Brian always encouraged them to follow their dreams and reach for the stars. He was a role model for going for what you want and making it happen. If you worked hard enough, you could do anything you wanted to do. He was also the king of fun and games. He loved to lie down on the floor of his speedboat to make it look like the girls were out cruising the river alone. He was a fantastic storyteller and spun many a tale going up the chairlift at Poley Mountain. He had the girls driving golf carts bumper cart style at the ages of 4 and 6, and arranged elaborate scavenger hunts with old, decrepit looking maps for them and neighborhood kids.

One of Brian’s biggest wishes following his diagnosis in 2016, was that he would get to live to become a grandfather. Surpassing anyone’s greatest expectations, Brian lived for over 8 years and witnessed both his daughters get married, as well as the birth of his 4 granddaughters: Quinn, Bree, Mica, and Alexis. He was a doting grandfather, and while the time they had together will never be long enough, we have so many wonderful stories that we will be able to tell the girls about their ‘Appy’, including the garden that he built for them.

One of Brian’s most defining qualities, besides his perseverance, was his positive attitude. Even in the hardest situations, Dad remained a shining light for our family. We are convinced that this is why Dad lived so many years after his diagnosis of advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. He remained optimistic and strong right up until the very end. He was a pillar of strength for our family and after a long and courageous battle, Dad passed peacefully on October 28, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.

Brian is survived by his loving wife Carolyn (Demers), his daughters Dr. Brittany Flood (Daniel MacLellan), and Dr. Meghan Flood (Jakub Bundil), and his 4 granddaughters (Quinn and Bree MacLellan, and Mica and Alexis Bundil), as well as his brother, sisters, and several other family members. Brian and his family would like to extend a special thank you to, in Brian’s words, ‘the Dream Team’: Drs Samantha Gray, Scott Bagnell, Sarah Caines, John Allen, Rob Thompson and Anna-Marie Mackinnon for going above and beyond in Brian’s care.

There will be a wake celebrating Brian’s life at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (506-634-7424) on November 2 from 3 pm to 7pm. A private funeral will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MAID https://maidfamilysupport.ca/donate/. Online condolences may be shared at www.brenansfh.com.