Brian Brendan Wallace

April  19th, 1932 January  7th, 2025
Brian Brendan Wallace

Fate whispers, "You cannot withstand the storm", the man whispered back, "I am the storm".

Obituary

Brian Wallace, devoted husband of Lorna Roderick and cherished father of three daughters—Brooke Wallace of San Diego, CA, Brittany Wallace (husband: Pepper Pharr) of Brooklyn, NY, and Meredith Wallace of West Palm Beach, FL—passed away peacefully, surrounded by the enduring love of his family on January 7th, 2025. He was the proud grandfather of two (soon to be three) grandchildren and a steadfast brother of twin sisters Karen Murray of Milton, MA, and Linda Butler of Greenwich, CT as well as his late sister Maureen Wallace.
Born during the Great Depression in Brighton, MA, to the late Steven and Kathleen Wallace, Brian was raised by a resolute and indomitable mother. An avid bibliophile, he graduated at the top of his high school class, earning him a coveted place at his alma mater, Brown University, which he cherished immensely.
At Brown, Brian distinguished himself academically, athletically, and interpersonally, forging lifelong bonds through the football & the Brown community. He also earned numerous accolades and joined many clubs. Following his graduation, he honorably served two years in the U.S. Army. Upon returning, he pursued a career as a dedicated and innovative teacher in underserved Boston-area school districts, known for his creative and unorthodox methods.
While teaching, Brian worked part-time at his Aunt Daisy’s bar, where he discovered his passion for the entertainment industry. This newfound interest led him to become a highly successful nightclub partner. It was at one of his nightclubs, Lucifers, where he met the love of his life, Lorna Roderick—the radiant woman who walked in with a red flower in her hair. Happily together for over 50 years, they built a beautiful family and established their forever home on Cape Cod.
With his business success, Brian retired early, allowing him to immerse himself in his many passions: boating, tennis, classical music, gardening, voracious reading, Brown football, dedicating time to friendships, and, above all, spending cherished time with his family.
Brian had an extraordinary gift for friendship, maintaining deep connections with countless people throughout his 92 years. He was larger than life and irreplaceable, his presence and endless stories will be profoundly missed by all fortunate enough to know him or cross paths with him.
A celebration of his remarkable life will be held at a later date.

Text box

As we know, Brian was a man full of stories; therefore, we invite you to share your favorite stories and memories of him. Let's keep his spirit alive in our hearts and honor the legacy he leaves behind in true Brian fashion, through storytelling.

Gallery


Memory wall

Post your condolences or share your Memories.


January 15, 2025
I worked for Brian at the Kenmore Club in Boston for several years while attending undergrad and grad school in the "70"s". One of the smartest, toughest guys I have known and a true gentleman. As a fellow Cape Cod guy, we spent many nights heading off down Rte.3 together to our Cape summer homes. We both ended up moving full time to the Cape and have got together several times with our wives Lorna and Elyse over the past several years. We had so much fun reminiscing about the "days at the club". Brian loved to bring up the occasional confrontations at the front door of Lucifer's (and later Celebration) where we would have to "defuse " a situation :-). Brian leaves a legacy that will be hard to replicate. His dedication and love to his beautiful family, his Brown University Alumni and his dear friends will be remembered forever.
Love and condolences to Lorna and the girls - Dave & Elyse D
David DiSciullo
January 13, 2025
Brian has been a dear friend of mine since 1987 when my son Todd was accepted to Brown. Brian was passionate about Brown football
and all people. No one will ever duplicate him. Please extend my condolences to his entire family. I love the pictures.
Joe Spector
P.S. We had a major fire in Pacific Palisades. I am safe.
Joe Spector
January 11, 2025
I met Brian at Lucifers and was fortunate enough to become friends and spend a lot of good times together. Please accept my sincere condolences, he will be missed.
Bill McGettrick
January 10, 2025
There are so many stories I could share as I met Brian during the summer of 1976 There was never a dull moment.whether he was trying to get rid of the geese or planting shrubbery in the middle of the night. No one slept until the task was completed. It’s because of Brian that I met my dearest friend Lorna and eventually my former husband. which led to my beautiful family. I will be forever grateful and I will cherish the memories that you created.for so many. You were so generous to others and always had the best stories. Just when I thought I had heard them all a new one would be told. All of the stories were true. His boat rides were not for the faint of heart. If you know you know…Terrifying and lots of praying.
We will miss you greatly and cherish all of the moments. Your beautiful wife, daughters and friends will forever hold you in their hearts. RIP Brian. We love you so much ♥️
Donna Bates
January 10, 2025
I was bestowed the honor of being selected to have Brian as my "mentor". That included many things but front and center was helping him do manual labor around the beautiful Wallace oceanfront home. Most people know about the infamous "wheelbarrow" assignment, where Brian instructed his "helper" to take a full load of rocks down a 75 degree grass hill, to his cherish rock wall. But "tree timming" was my favorite. One day from the upstairs patio he pointed out towards the ocean and told me he thought the view would be better if some of the tall trees were trimmed. I didn't think twice about it and probably nodded my head in agreement. Fast forward to the next day, There we were. At the base of one of these tall trees, with a rickety ladder. Brian said all i had to do was climb the latter and then advance upwards a few branches on this extremely sketchy/sloped tree on a hill. Brian must have thought this wasn't difficult enough, so he added a chainsaw to the mix. I'll never forget being up in that tree, looking out at the ocean, as i pulled up a chainsaw Brian had tied to a rope. At the point I had never operated any powertool, nevermind a chainsaw 25 feet in the air on a hill.

That was Brian's spirit. Some may say he had a reckless nature (including himself, his family, etc) but I always found his appetite for new adventures and new memories to be one of his top qualities. He used that same approach in life and it produced a beautiful, loving family, and so much more. Sometimes we seek the boring stuff, and if that ever happens too much, I always think of Brian. He fit 100 lifetimes in his 92 years. Until we meet again, Brian.
Frankie Nuzzo
Share

Secure payment

First Lastname donation
Order total: $ 0
Your host will receive your funds within 24 hours.