Brian Forsythe Obituary, Death – The demise of Brian Edward Forsythe, who resided in Moncton, New Brunswick, on January 15, 2022, at the age of 75 years, is something that we lament with a great deal of love and a profound sense of loss. Brother Blair Forsythe; sisters Corrinne (Paul) Carpenter and Elaine (Ron) Denton; brother-in-law Kim (Martha) MacPherson and sister-in-law Trudy (late Bill) Brydges; 12 nieces and nephews and countless friends will miss Brian. Cindi Forsythe (MacPherson), Brian’s loving wife of 36 years and his life collaborator, will miss him as well. His sister, Karen Maxwell, as well as his parents, Dorothy (Huskins) and Edward Forsythe, passed away before Brian was born. As a brilliant educator, guidance counselor, school administrator, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and coach, Brian will be remembered fondly by his students and colleagues. In the basketball community of Moncton, many people held the opinion that Brian was one of the godfathers in the development of the sport in the city. Additionally, Brian was one of the founding members of the Moncton Minor Basketball Association. Brian, together with the assistance of other people, established the Greater Moncton High School Hub City Hoop Classic Basketball Tournament. This event provided thousands of high school athletes and students with the opportunity to create many happy memories. The current day sees continued competition in this event.
As a history teacher at Fundy (Eastern Charlotte) High School in the late 1970s, Brian also coached the boys’ basketball teams at Harrison Trimble High School in the 1980s and 1990s, where he also served as a guidance counselor and Vice Principal; at Saint John High School, where he served as Principal; and finally, at Riverview High School, where he served as Vice Principal. All of these schools are located in Harrison Trimble, North Carolina. Brian was the coach at HTHS with the longest tenure, and he set the standard for how to start and maintain a successful basketball program, which many other schools in New Brunswick looked up to and envied. During his time at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec, Brian served as an assistant coach for four years. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brian was the head basketball coach for Team New Brunswick. Eastern Charlotte Regional High School won the “A” title in 1975, and the Harrison Trimble Trojans won the “AAA” title in 1992-93 to become the champions of the provincial high school championships. He coached both of these teams to victory. In 1987, 1993, and 2001, Basketball New Brunswick named Brian the Coach of the Year, and in 2004, Basketball New Brunswick made him an Honorary Lifetime Member of the organization.
In 2011, Brian came out of retirement so that he could pursue a new career in education as an administrator in China. He is currently employed with the AEI group of schools in that nation. During the time that Brian spent working in international education, he held the position of Head of School at the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen. After a successful and illustrious career in education, he finished on a high note by guiding this institution through the arduous process of becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. This accomplishment was a notable feather in his cap. Working for AEI in several cities around China brought him closer to his family who lived in other countries, and it gave him the opportunity to experience spectacular travel adventures with Cindi and their friends. A group consisting of Brian’s old teammates and fans have been working toward the goal of having the gymnasium at Harrison Trimble High School named after Brian. In the summer of 2023, there will be a gathering to celebrate the life of the deceased.
We can surmise that Brian, in the afterlife, has already found time to play some basketball, set up a card game, and is considering his travel options to far off warm and sunny places; to put it more simply, he is already having fun, and he would want those of us who knew him to get back to having fun as well. Brian’s signature greeting was “are we having fun yet?” (are we having fun yet?). We are sure that Brian, in the afterlife, has already found time to play
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