Brian Patrick KAVANAGH

BRIAN PATRICK KAVANAGH 57, died June 15, 2019. Brian was born and raised in Dublin, where he developed his love of music and literature, alongside his distinctly Irish sense of humor. Dublin is also where his career in medicine began. June 17, 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of his arrival in Canada. In 1989, Brian immigrated with his former wife Hilary to Toronto, where they started their family. They relocated to Palo Alto with their daughter, Dáire, where Brian completed a fellowship in intensive care. After the birth of their daughter Aifric, the family returned to Toronto where Brian took up a position at the Toronto General Hospital. In 1999, he began working at the Hospital for Sick Children, and continued to do so for the last 20 years. He was a staff physician in the intensive care unit, as well as Chair of the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto for two terms. In addition, he was a passionate scientist and researcher, focusing particularly on lung injury, and the effects of mechanical ventilation on the lungs. More than that, he was an immensely dedicated father. He always valued time with family, returning to Ireland - forever his home - on multiple occasions every year. Brian was also a very talented uilleann piper, playing often and with immense joy. He loved cycling, a good crossword, swimming in the sea, and through to the end, a good cup of tea with his homemade brown bread. He will be forever remembered by his daughters, Dáire and Aifric Kavanagh; his partner, Briseida Mema; his siblings, Sarah Petrie, Mary Kingston, John Kavanagh, and Bróna Kavanagh; his aunts, Una Blake and Deirdre Clear; his many nieces and nephews; his previous partners, Hilary Roche and Hannah Wunsch; Dáire's partner Jyssika Russell, as well as many other loving family members and friends. His father, Desmond Kavanagh, died in 2005, and his mother, Sadie Kavanagh (née O'Higgins), died in 2015. There will be a private cremation ceremony held at the discretion of the family. A memorial service will take place at St. Andrew's Church (73 Simcoe Street) at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, 2019. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Brian's memory can be made to any of the three charities he supported: Concern Worldwide, Self Help Africa, or Covenant House Toronto.