Brian "Bones" Douglas Kingsbury

Brian “Bones” Kingsbury joined Kentville Volunteer Fire Department shortly after he moved to Kentville with his family in 1980. The department and firefighting, with its associated services such as rescue, quickly became a central part of his life and a lifelong passion and interest.

Most of his service in the department was spent on ladder companies, but he also had stints on rescue and pumper companies. He took a particular interest in the department’s newest aerial ladder, travelling to Florida with others to inspect its construction and then supervising its outfitting and operation. To honour the memory of their long-time comrade, the ladder company of Tower 41 designed and commissioned a memorial decal for the ladder platform.

In addition to his service at all types of incidents, Brian served on many committees, including the board of directors, which he chaired for several years.

He was joined in the department for a time by his brother Ken and later by his daughter Sarah.

Following his sudden and untimely passing, the department paid tribute with the following posting on its website:

“Brian’s dedication and hard work in the volunteer fire service was nothing short of inspirational. He was a friend, mentor and family member to us all. Though always humble, Brian’s bravery and courage shone through both on and off the fire ground. Throughout his 30 years with the department Brian had attained the rank of Captain, was an excellent driver/operator of many trucks (his favourite always being Tower 41), a long-serving member of the board of directors as well as chairman of the board of directors for several years. His legacy in the fire service shall always live on through the stories to be told, the friends he made and the members he mentored.”

A graduate of the Nova Scotia Community College Kingstec Campus, where he studied electrical construction wiring, he was the owner-operator of Advantage Security Systems Ltd.

Brian is survived by his parents, Al and Betty Kingsbury; his wife, Martha MacQuarrie; his daughter Sarah, an advanced care paramedic and volunteer firefighter; his son Jeffrey (Yolande Laroche), a professional musician; his daughter Emma Faulkner, a prospective nursing student; step-children James Blumenthal (Leah Wynn), Samantha Blumenthal and Jon-Luc MacQuarrie Cox; his brother Kenneth (Sandra); and his sister Kelly (Darren) O’Melia.

Brian's cousin, a Constable with the RCMP salutes his name on the memorial wall following the 2018 ceremony.