I was fortunate to have worked with Brian during my time as a postdoc at NRL. He left an impact on me as a role model of an exemplary scientist and a highly respected technical leader. My deepest condolences to Brian's family and dear friends.

We are fellow parishioners of Brian at St. Ambrose. We are deeply saddened by his passing. He was a warm welcoming presence during the 12 noon Mass. He had this quiet, kind and joyful countenance that impressed on us, a ray of God's light.

To Brian's dearest family, he will be in our thoughts and prayers.

God's everlasting peace be with you, Brian, in our Lord Jesus through Mother Mary.

Eloise Villanueva
Pat Dy-Liacco
Jo Monteleone
Maribet Ledesma 

The loss of Brian leaves a large hole in our personal and professional lives.  As we grieve, I know that he lives on forever through his family and contributions to the technology area which he led.  At times in our chosen careers in service of the country we spend more time with our work families than our personal families.  From long hours on work trips and in the lab, I have many fond memories of stories related by Brian of growing up with his brothers and sister as well as the growth of his own family. I deeply enjoyed our discourse on the constitution and having someone to share this interest with. I am proud to have been a part of Brian’s life for the last 25 or so years.  In an effort to smooth some edges of this hole left by his loss, I hope that going forward I am able in some small way to contribute back to our personal and professional communities in ways that Brian would have.

Dr. Houston, you are a great American scientist and mentor who will be dearly missed at the Laboratory. Our world is a better and safer place due in part to your life’s work. 

Brian put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and brain power into this system in an effort to solve a very difficult problem.

I don't have any pictures of Brian, but this was his vision being operated on a Navy ship.

Brian had been trying to get the Knifefish capability to the Fleet for a very long time and I joined the effort at NAVSEA in 2017. I am grateful for his technical and programmatic acumen. We may have butted heads on the best way to get the job done, but would always connect on the personal level when the work conversation was complete.

His deep love for family was apparent through his recounting of pending family milestones we talked about during evening phone calls.

My deepest condolences to Brian's family and his greater community of friends. 

My family is blessed to have known Brian through Scouting, specifically as Scoutmaster for Troop 1532 at St. Ambrose. Brian personified the traits taught in Boy Scouts. He was an outstanding leader of young men and a truly wonderful person to know. 

God put Brian on this earth for many reasons, and one of them, I am sure, was to lead and mentor young men as a scout leader. Like a pebble thrown into water, Brian's impact through Scouting will continue to ripple for generations. I am grateful to have known him and to have had him lead my sons in Boy Scouts. 

Our condolences to the entire family on the loss of your father, husband, brother, and grandfather. He will be missed by everyone who was blessed to have known him.


It is with a heavy heart and disbelief that we are saying goodbye to our beloved friend, Brian.  He was the best of us.  Brian’s accomplishments are not only noteworthy, but are legendary. Brian was intelligent, kind, articulate, funny, competent, talented and a man of deep faith.   
I harken back to the days when we had a tenuous foot in the door concerning AUV work. Through Brian’s tenacity and creativity, we are now major players in that arena.  Irregardless of all this, Brian was humble and just a regular guy.  Brian and his wife Caroline were always welcome to sit by our fire. In fact, we enjoyed many fires together and will cherish these memories.
Recently, Brian stopped over our house with his grandson Thomas, son William and his wife, Gabby.  He wanted to make sure we met Thomas, such a beautiful boy.  Family, friendship, love… yes we loved him and will miss him dearly.

My deepest condolences to Brian’s Family.  I am heartbroken over this sudden loss.  I have worked in the Acoustics Division for almost 35 years and had the honor of working closely with Brian for the last 5 years, when he became our Division Superintendent.   He treated his administrative staff with respect and made us feel like we were one big happy family.  He was our leader, mentor and friend.  He always walked into our offices with a positive attitude and a witty sense of humor.  Brian knew how to dish it out and also knew how to take it (all in fun of course).  He loved his family and spoke of you often.  I feel like I personally know each of you.  He was a proud grandfather and adored his grandson.  Every chance he could, he would show off pictures/videos of him.  He was a prolific scientist and well known throughout NRL and the DoD community.  He was a great boss and always showed his appreciation to his employees.  His faith in God was evident and welcoming. He was an inspiration to so many and I will be forever grateful to have known him.  He will be sorely missed and always remembered.  Sending prayers to God to give you peace and comfort during this very difficult time. 

The Habit
Missing a loved One

We have a habit that is sometimes unbearable.  The habit hits mostly when you’re alone.  You can be just resting and all of a sudden, you get the urge, a surge of energy from nowhere.  You try distracting yourself by reading or watching a good program on TV, but during the commercials your mind still wonders.  Sometimes you try to imagine what life would be like if you didn’t have this dilemma and then you think “what would I do without it?”  I know this habit could sometimes make you sad if you let it, but it hurts when you try to forget it.  Some habits are good and this one is not bad.  Though at times you may feel sad because the habit is the lost loved one.  

My deepest sympathy to the Houston family.

Jackie Lowe
Code 7130
Branch Secretary


How can we accept that you are gone from our lives? 36 years of interaction - we grew together in our carriers at the Naval Research Laboratory.  What a remarkable scientist and human being!  Here was a man with warmth and love of family, very humble and at ease, yet driven towards accomplishing the scientific goals so critical to the many programs he oversaw at NRL.  As a brilliant experimentalist he provided the Navy with building blocks to accomplish stealth in our naval platforms.   This was the firing pin for my own success though 40 years at NRL.  He was of the rare breed - an inspirational and knowledgeable scientific leader, sowing seeds of needed research and motivating his workforce.  An incalculable loss to NRL and to his family.  Brian, know that we will miss you as we remember the many pleasant, fruitful discussions!   
Earl G. Williams

I worked with Brian from the time he joined NRL until my retirement, and for a few years after as a part time contractor. From his earliest days there, it was clear that he had a talent for working with state-of-the-art technology and a gift for supervising a team of world-class scientists and engineers. We worked closely on many projects, and shared authorship on many journal publications and two patents. A joke we shared was that in our NRL environment these publications only represented the small number of projects that did not fully succeed. He was a remarkable guy and I loved working with him - always supportive, honest and trustworthy.

Brian and I worked with each other at NRL for about forty years. We had a unique and very close relationship regarding all things scientific, programmatic, and beyond. His loss creates a large hole in my personal and professional life.
Brian was the quintessential scientific leader. He was tough on his troops in exactly the way a good father is tough on his children. He spurred them all onto great accomplishments and vectored them away from scientific and engineering mediocrity. In these activities, there were no mountains that Brian feared. He attacked all challenges with the same pioneering attitude knowing that he would reach the goal.  
Brian came into my Branch four decades ago as a student. From there I watched him advance to Section, Branch, and Division Head.  These personal steps forward were realized because of the unique, sparkling technical and programmatic advances and breakthroughs he created throughout his career.
Brian will be greatly missed by so many of us.
Joe Bucaro


I would like to offer my condolences to Brian's family and friends. His loss is also being felt by his colleagues. I got to know Brian during an experiment in Italy in which we both participated more than 25 years ago. As the head of the acoustics division, Brian was a godsend in providing leadership and direction that guided us through the pandemic and other difficulties. Part of his strategy was to return the focus back to fundamental areas of research in ocean acoustics and to get young researchers more involved. 

To the Houston family:  I am so sorry for your loss.  I hope it comforts you to know how many lives Brian touched.
To Brian: Goodbye good friend.  It was many years of doing science, collaborating, socializing and sharing a bit of life together.  You will be missed.

Dear Caroline, William, Stephanie and Isabelle,

What an accomplished man Brian was, both personally and professionally.!  The love he shared with you and the rest of his family was so great.  His sudden passing leaves all of us in shock.

Please know that I am deeply sorry for your loss.  Brian left his mark on this world and we are all the better for it.  May he Rest In Peace with the angels.

Much love,
Mary

To my brother Brian,
     I don't know how I will get thru the rest of my life without seeing you and especially talking to you. I am so broken. I don't understand why you were taken but only God knows.  I will pray and talk to you every night. 
YOUR SISTER LAURA

Dear Houston family, Will, Stephanie and Isabelle-

Please be assured of my prayers for all f you and your sweet mom. I was lucky to see your dad at St Ambrose not long ago and he was beaming with pride as he shared your accomplishments. 
May God bless you all at this difficult time.
Sra. Patty Cummins

To Brian's family. My deepest condolences. I worked closely with Brian for many years, often referring to him as our fearless leader. I had the utmost respect for his creative mind and his ability to juggle many balls in the air at once.  His respect for his employees and his love of his family were one of his many qualities. His contributions to science and me personally will always be remembered. Prayers of comfort to his family.

I have to believe that you still exist, somewhere. That you still watch me, sometimes. That you still love me, somehow. 
I have to believe that life has meaning, somehow. That I am useful here, sometimes. That I make small differences, somewhere.
I have to believe that I need to stay here, for some time. That all this teaches me, something. So that I can meet you again, somewhere.

I love you grandpa, I will love you forever and every day. I miss you more than you will ever know.

Brian, I’ll spend a lifetime remembering you, one day we’ll meet again. Thank you so much for loving our baby boy so much, I know no one will ever love Thomas the way you loved him. And I promise you, I will take Thomas to the moon for you. We love you always and forever. 

OBITUARY

Brian Harvey Houston

December 11, 1955 – July 25, 2023

Murphy Funeral Homes

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