Obituary of James Brine

My family are just overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from so many people. I guess Jim was right when he said that there would be a lot of people. Thank you, Kathy Family Remembrance by Kathy: Just the other day Jim and I met with Kevin Sullivan to discuss his funeral arrangements. You see Jim was ready. And in typical Jim fashion, he was prepared as always, crossing all his T’s and dotting all his I’s. Fr. Chen said a beautiful mass with our family in our home, where Jim was able to express his love for all of us. And, also on his mind was to make sure his family was going to be all set financially. We spoke to our financial advisor and friend on Saturday afternoon and he assured Jim that he would take of his family as if we were his own. This gave Jim great peace. He called for his family to gather, when he called they came in force. He had just one more request….His Party! As you can imagine, I was a bit surprised and I told Jim not to worry as I would take care of all of that. To which he replied: “Kath, not to toot my own horn, but I think there will be a LOT of people coming” And quite obviously he was right (again). If you take a moment to look around, you will see this church is filled with people who he loved and who love HIM in return. I know Jim would want me to THANK YOU all from the BOTTOM OF HIS HEART! The outpouring of love and prayers over this past year from all of you has truly touched our hearts. At Jim’s time of need you all came through for this kind, caring and amazing man. You see, out of something so horrible came something so good. Jim read and felt all of your heartfelt messages. He felt that it was a wonderful GIFT to know how you all truly felt about him. These “gifts” are what fueled him to continue his fight and renewed and strengthened his already strong Faith and his belief in the power of prayer and LOVE. Thank you all for that ~ Jim and I first met at the RAT at Providence College and from our very first conversation in the midst of all our crazy college friends, I knew instantly that he was a KIND and LOVING person. Jim ALWAYS spoke about his family with me. He was so proud and honored to be a BRINE! He loved each and every one of his siblings (Joe, Maura, Wendy, Jeff, Heidi, Gary, Gayle, Mark, and Scott). And he cherished his mom and dad. Jim being the oldest of 10, was often called upon to take care of his siblings – which he did without hesitation! And as I watched him do this time and again, I knew in my heart he would be a GREAT DAD....and boy was he and more! His nieces and nephews brought him such joy, from the boat rides in NH to all the holidays at the Brine and McLellan house holds to looking for crabs at Cape Cod, he enjoyed every moment spent with you. In the time Jim has been a DAD, he has bestowed his amazing spirit upon each of our beautiful children: Jennifer, James, Colleen and Kaitlyn. Through his quiet, selfless ways Jim has shown our children how to live a SIMPLE yet meaningful life. Through his actions of supporting, cheering, guiding each child in academics, sports, dancing, and making life’s decisions, his influence, wisdom, and love will live on in their hearts forever. He loved you all with his whole heart and being. I could go one for a long time with stories of this wonderful man, but I thought I would sum it up with this thought: No matter what Jim was to you...... Coach, your Patient, a Fan in the stands, your CCD teacher, whether you called him Mr. Brine, Jim, Jimmy or Full-House Jim, whether he was your Golf Partner or Opponent, your Roommate, Teammate, Business Partner, Boss, Local Store Owner, Brother Knight, Neighbor, Nephew, Cousin, Brother-in-law, Son-in-Law, whether you called him Uncle Jim or Uncle Jimmy, Brother, Son, Father or Husband :...he was a friend to us all in the most simplest, truest form of a Friend....he was THAT person whom everyone turned to for guidance, for support and for his opinion and mostly for his love. He would want you all to know, that he lived his life everyday just the way he wanted to. In the very beginning of Jim’s illness, it was suggested that he make a “bucket list” of places to travel to, sights to see or things to conquer.....and to start living this list. Of course in my mind I was thinking finally! We are going to travel the world! But after very little thought Jim came to me and said that he “lived his Bucket List every day” ...Jim went to work to a place he put his heart and soul into and came home to his beautiful family every night. During his illness, from diagnosis until the very end, he never asked “why me”?. Jim’s biggest concern throughout his battle was that all his family and friends, especially the young people who prayed on his behalf, would be disheartened and lose their faith. Jim wanted everyone to know that the masses and prayers offered for his well-being were a source of comfort and sustained him and all his family during his illness, for which he was eternally grateful. Jim’s faith never waivered and he prayed that his illness would not cause anyone to lose their faith. In order to give us all a sense of peace, he let us know that he truly believed he was going to Heaven. With his unequivocal FAITH how can we all believe nothing less than that..... Jim was the love of my life and I will miss him so very much. We will all miss you, but know we have an angel watching over us. Rest in peace ……we will see you again someday. James W. Brine III, owner of Brine Sporting Goods, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer on Sunday afternoon, August 19. He was 48 years old. Jim was born in Arlington and was a lifelong resident of Burlington. He was a graduate of Austin Preparatory School, Class of 1982 where he excelled in sports, especially hockey, tennis and baseball. He went on to graduate from Providence College in 1986, where he would meet his future wife Kathy. The first James F. Brine, Inc. sporting goods store opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1867. The family business was instilled in Jim at an early age. He worked throughout high school and college at one of the stores. Jim joined his father after college and eventually became the sixth generation of Brine’s running the family business. Jim and his sister Maura Allen grew the business and adapted to meet their customers’ needs. To compete with the today’s Sports Mega stores, Jim, Maura, their family and staff, believe and follow the business model of his father and father’s father, which is to have a knowledgeable staff, offer quality merchandise, and treat your customers as your friends. Jim had a strong Catholic faith and was an extremely active member of St. Margaret’s Church. He served as Director of Saint Margaret’s First Grade CCD program for 12 years. Jim was also a Third and Fourth Degree member of the Burlington Knights of Columbus. During his illness, from diagnosis until the very end, Jim’s faith was unequivocal. Jim’s biggest concern throughout his battle was that all his family and friends, especially the young people who prayed on his behalf, would be disheartened and lose their faith. Jim wanted everyone to know that the masses and prayers offered for his well-being were a source of comfort and sustained him and all his family during his illness, for which he was eternally grateful. Jim’s faith never waivered and he prayed that his illness would not cause anyone to lose theirs. Jim’s source of pride was that of his family, the one he was born into and the one he and his wife Kathy created. Being one of the 10 children of Nancy and Jim (Jr.) was a special gift. As the oldest of this Brine family, Jim paved the way in his quiet yet strong manner for all of his siblings. Jim was the definition of “Role Model” to all his siblings. With the guidance of his loving parents he set the standard for qualities such as kind, caring, determined, strong, loyal, hardworking, respectful and trusting which his brothers and sisters have lived by throughout their lives. Jim was a loving husband to his wife Kathy, for 23 years. In Jim’s words, Kathy and Jim were made together in heaven. Their unbreakable bond only grew stronger as they fought his illness together. Like his faith, their love for each other has never waivered. As a parent, he brought his beautiful spirit to his own children. Through his quiet, selfless ways, he has shown his children how to lead a simple yet meaningful life. Through his actions of supporting, cheering, guiding, and analyzing each child in academics, sports, dancing, and making life’s decisions, his influence, wisdom, and love will live on in their hearts forever. Jim was the beloved husband of Kathleen “Kathy” A. (McLellan). He was the devoted and proud father of Jennifer “Jenn”, James IV, Colleen “Coco” and Kaitlyn “Kait”. He was the loving son of James W. Jr. & Nancy (Winn) of Burlington. He was the brother of Joe & his wife Livia of Littleton, Maura Allen & her husband Joe of Pepperell, Wendy Gavin & her husband Steve of Groton, Jeff of Billerica, Heidi Melanson & her husband Mark of Burlington, Gary Snow-Brine & his wife Sarah of Wells, ME, Gayle Ford & her husband Matt of Holland, PA, Mark of Haverhill, & Scott of Brighton & his fiancée Joanne Crooker. He was the son-in-law of Thomas & Betty McLellan of Burlington and Brother-in-law of Tom & Leann McLellan of Naples, FL, Colleen & Billy Allen of Hopkinton and Kelly and Wally Swanson of Wilbraham. Also survived by twenty-five nieces and nephews. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., BURLINGTON at 11 a.m. Visiting hours Wednesday 4-9 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. In lieu of Flowers memorials in Jim’s name may be made to the Knights of Columbus Exceptional Children’s Fund, PO Box 25, Burlington, MA 01803 or Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114.