Brian Charles Cornell

Brian Charles Cornell of Melrose, Massachusetts passed away on the afternoon of July 21, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts with his son Nolan by his side. During the final years of a rich and fascinating life, Brian bravely fought his advanced stage bladder cancer until his last day, at which time his mind was sharp and his incomparable wit was very much intact.

Brian was born on May 10, 1948 in Taunton, Massachusetts to his parents Helen and Everett "Nabor" Cornell. He excelled at an early age in academics, particularly mathematics and history, and loved to accumulate knowledge. Outside of class, he could be found almost every day the weather allowed at the sandlots of East Taunton, where he played in thousands of pickup baseball and football games alongside his twin brother and lifelong teammate Bruce. He had a special bond with his little sister Kathryn and was lovingly cared for and raised by his older sister Pamela. His colorful stories of those days included a famed and unauthorized bike ride with friends 40 miles outside of town at age ten, scouring the neighborhood for discarded bottles to return for popsicle money, inviting children who needed a safe place to stay to sleep in the spare bed in Bruce and Brian's tiny bedroom, and having his very first ice cream sundae as a thank you from a friend whose newspaper route he'd covered (spurring a lifelong love of ice cream).

His high school experience at Taunton High brought continued evidence of extraordinary academic and cognitive abilities as well as athletic prowess. Brian was a notable basketball and baseball player, two sports which he continued to play in college. However, he always considered football to be his sport. Even in his last days, with his infallible memory intact, he was able to recall the outcome of every game on his senior year schedule and notable plays from each. Teammates recall his quick hands, his agility and his toughness in each of the sports he played. He was well-liked by both peers and teachers, despite considering himself shy. His friends have described him as smart, driven, generous, witty and endlessly trustworthy.

Brian put himself through undergrad at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, during which he fondly recalled his summer jobs at Paul A. Dever State School and Massasoit State Park. Brian graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1972. Despite the job market at the time being extremely competitive, Brian was quickly offered a position at Bristol Plymouth Regional High School as a high school math and English teacher and head football coach. There he made lifelong friends with many of his fellow coaches and staff members and was able to devote his incredible memory and intelligence to success on the field and in the classroom. He remembered most of his players and students for the rest of his life. Many of these individuals over the years have reached out to describe how Brian changed their lives, inspired them, or otherwise placed them on the right path. His unique skill set also lent itself to success in a variety of careers, including army reservist during the Vietnam War, co-owner of Kay's Townhouse restaurant, bartender at K.C.'s Pub, football official and associate graduate-level professor. In 1984, he earned a Masters degree from University of Massachusetts Lowell in Computer Science. He became a software engineer for missile defense systems at Lockheed and Raytheon, where he later ended his impressive career. Brian's time as a software engineer was demanding, and he was frequently the first person to arrive at his office and the last to leave. He proudly accomplished various feats in his engineering career and spent his early years saving money for his future children's education. Among his many contributions to national defense, he helped develop advanced flight path planning software-- technology that was later instrumental in enabling U.S. Special Forces to reach Osama Bin Laden's compound undetected in 2011.

During his early adulthood, among Brian's memorable experiences were attending Woodstock with college friends, playing in countless high-level basketball and softball leagues, hanging out and working at K.C.'s Pub (including during the infamous Blizzard of '78) and being a devoted uncle to his nieces and nephews. He was always extremely close to his siblings and felt they were an endlessly special group-- that they would truly do anything for each other, proven true again and again throughout the years.

In his final days, Brian reiterated that his most valued role in his lifetime was being a dad to Nolan and Stacie. During their childhood, he spent every evening and weekend as a math tutor, essay editor, tire swing spinner, swimming buddy, lost stuffed animal rescuer, batting and basketball coach and support system. In well over a decade of having two kids playing multiple sports, the only time he ever missed a single game was when the two happened to have games scheduled at the same time in different places. Despite being older than many of the other parents, Brian was always the most active, attentive and athletic. He continued to play basketball and medal in 5K runs into his early 70s and enjoyed visiting his daughter weekly at Boston College, watching local high school football games with his son and catching up with old friends. His true calling was to be a parent. His ultimate life goal was to give his children the most wonderful lives possible, and in that, among countless other things, he was unequivocally successful.

He is predeceased by his parents Nabor Cornell and Helen Kay (Chaves), his stepparents Joseph Kay and Mary Cornell, and his older brother Everett "Bucky" Cornell. His many stories and memories live on in his surviving family: his son Nolan and his fiancée Chau, daughter Stacie and her husband Mitch, older sister Pamela and her husband Phil, twin brother Bruce and his wife Lisa, his younger sister Kathryn and her husband Gilbert and his beloved golden doodle Nika. Additionally, he was a proud uncle to his nieces and nephews Nathan, Everett, Courtney, Korey, Brett, Jill, Brooks and Ashleigh. He was stepbrother to Joyce, Shirley, Marilyn and Carlton.

The impact Brian had on those who knew him continues to shape lives today-- and will for years to come. There will be a Celebration of Life for Brian in the coming weeks in Taunton, Massachusetts, for which further details will be shared to Brian's Facebook page and added in the "Memorial Events" section below on this page. To honor his love of storytelling and to highlight the many lives he touched, we invite those that cared for him to come prepared to share stories of him in a casual open-mic format.

Brian cared about ensuring that other patients battling cancer still have access to care when facing cost, mobility and transportation challenges. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Brian's name to the Adult Patient Assistance Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168, by phone at 1-800-525-4669 or at dana-farber.org/give.

We encourage you to share your memories of Brian in the "Memories and Condolences" section below.

(Please note that the last sentence below regarding planting a tree in Brian's memory is auto-generated by Legacy.com. Brian would have preferred you donate to Dana Farber / The Jimmy Fund.)