Brian Douglas Kuehner

Brian Douglas Kuehner, a Navy veteran who passed away January 10, 2021 at the youthful age of 62, will make his final resting place at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, CA. Always in charge, it was often questioned if the United States Navy made him into a Chief Petty Officer or if he was born a Chief on November 14, 1958 in Missouri to his parents JoAnn Nipper and the late George Kuehner. Although his career physically distanced him and his younger siblings, he leaves loving memories in the hearts of Deb, Dave, Jim, John, and Charles.

Brian was survived by his wife of 15 years, Michele, the other half of “Team Kuehner”, affectionately referred to as “Toots”. Although their time together was not long enough, they lived life to the fullest attending concerts, Padres baseball games, working at races, and playing with their cherished dogs. For Brian, happiness and joy came from hanging out at home with Michele, and playing in the yard with the pups wearing shorts and a free shirt most likely representing a race he had run or coached. Endurance sports, which brought them together through coaching, training, and racing, also kept Brian physically active and looking youthful until the end. Although he had countless marathon and Ironman races of which he could have been proud, his legacy will always be the San Diego Running Club. Through his club, he not only helped numerous people conquer their running goals and become physically fit, but also created an enormous running family aka his “running friends”.

The unique relationships woven with his daughters were based on his selfless nature and silliness. His eldest daughter, Stephanie, or in his words “Teffers”, models his love of animals by taking in any stray cat and treating them like her family. Kristi, forever nicknamed “2-2” or “Kritney” in his bizarre voice, inherited his sarcasm as they shared lengthy conversations about endless topics awkward or otherwise. Kelly, referred to as “Kooner” served her country just like her dad. His three daughters collectively made him a proud grandpa to an extensive collection of 9 grandchildren though he always pretended to forget a couple here and there.

Brian’s witty, fun-loving nature was similar to that of his favorite sitcom characters. He was a mixture of Al Bundy (family man), Sam Malone (everyone’s friend), and of course all Three Stooges (comedian)! Although Dementia deteriorated some of his mental abilities during his later years, his friendly personality could be felt by everyone he met including restaurant servers, cashiers, and beer vendors at Petco Park. His selflessness will never be forgotten by anyone who knew him at any stage of his life. Michele refers to Brian as the best human she has ever known, and will love him “to infinity and beyond” as engraved in their wedding rings.

There will be a Celebration of Life at a later time when safe to do so. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (https://www.theaftd.org/) or to CA Labradors, Retrievers & More (https://labsandmore.org/). He would have appreciated that.