We are sad to share the news that Brian Doyle — beloved Portland writer and University of Portland icon, and the brilliant, creative spark behind the Beckman Humor Project — passed away on May 27, 2017, as a result of complications from a brain tumor.
Upon his passing, University of Portland President Fr. Mark Poorman, CSC, shared:
“Someone once said of Brian that he could see the grace in every corner of life. He himself wrote ‘We think of grace arriving like an ambulance, a just-in-time delivery, an invisible divine cavalry cresting a hill of troubles, a bolt of jazz from the glittering horn of the creator, but maybe it lives in us and is activated by illness of spirit. Maybe we’re loaded with grace. Maybe we’re stuffed with the stuff.’
Certainly no one exemplified God’s grace more than Brian by how he lived his life. He was a man filled with a sense of humanity and wonder, who was interested in everyone’s story and who saw everyone’s potential. His warmth, humor, and passion for life will be deeply missed and his loss will be acutely felt here and beyond The Bluff. In my final conversation with Brian he told me that all of his work at the University of Portland was an honor for him.”
The honor was all ours, Brian. Thanks for all the laughs and love you shared with us.