Hello, my name is Annette Feliciani, Bryan’s wife. I met Bryan when I was 18 when we were both attending Cal State Fullerton. We connected almost immediately, and everyone knew we were meant for each other. Even my sorority gave me the “I Belong with Bryan” award in my senior year. I am proud to have some of those sorority sisters who knew us then here today as well as others from Cal State Fullerton where we both gave our time and financial support.

We were married young after 4 years of dating and this March would have been our 43rd wedding anniversary. We had our ups and downs over the years, but we learned to communicate what was important and focus on what really mattered – our wonderful daughter Lauren, our family, our community and our faith.

Bryan pursued a career in insurance based on a night class at Cal State Fullerton when an insurance broker spoke. This gentleman, Jim Mclvaney, worked for Johnson and Higgins and Bryan was enamored with the conversation and the career... Read more he described and literally followed him to his car at 10 pm at night – by the way Jim later said he thought Bryan was a stalker – and asked him for advice on how to follow his path. He followed it to a tee and worked at many companies, starting as an underwriter with Allstate, eventually was hired by Jim at Johnson and Higgins, then Hobbs Group which eventually became Willis Towers Watson, where he ended his career. Many of his work colleagues over the years are here today as well as the many clients that he interacted with and ultimately called friends.

We stayed in Orange County for many years, building a home on the most amazing street and connecting with the community. Thank you, Hidden Oaks neighbors, for being here today. One early summer evening, while hosting a retirement party for a colleague in our backyard, I overheard Bryan saying he was retiring to Paso Robles. Now, I had never been there before and wondered about this. While cleaning up, I asked him if I was included in those plans, and he just smiled and said, “I’m not going anywhere without you by my side.” We then proceeded to make trips to Paso Robles every month for three years until we found his dream home, perched high on a hill with 360-degree views of rolling vineyards. It became our happy place and we so looked forward to his retirement so we could finally make this our home and Lauren, Mark and their little boy’s legacy. The Paso Robles community opened their arms to us even not being full-time residents and it was because of one reason – Bryan and his ability to connect and engage with people.

Bryan was a man that really saw you – he saw beyond what people did for a living, what car they drove, where they lived, and saw the person. He always remembered key details in a person’s life and asked about it – parents, kids, pets, favorite sports teams, planned trips. It didn’t matter if you were his family, a golfing buddy, a work colleague or a client, he was truly interested in the person and what made them who they were. He made you feel special. He made you feel seen.

After my Dad died, he wrote me the most beautiful letter about how he learned so much from Vince on how to be a husband and a Dad… how to put family first, how to show emotion, how to connect with his kids, how to create experiences with family. He told me he would always remember my dad’s impact on all of us and hoped he could make that same impact on his daughter. He did. He loved her with every part of his being, and he was so very proud of the woman she is and knew she was in good hands with Mark, her husband. He so wanted to be a Poppy to the new little boy Lauren and Mark are expecting. He loved his own Poppy and hoped to show the little guy all the joys of life. He would have been a fabulous Poppy, and I am most sad that he and the little one will never have that opportunity.

Now many of you may be asking why I keep saying “little boy” or “little guy” versus his name. That is because Lauren and Mark have chosen to not reveal the name until his birth. I have tried relentlessly to get them to spill the beans, but alas, they have not. On the morning Bryan passed, Lauren told me that on the Friday before they told Bryan the name in the hospital and he said the name repeatedly and they were so afraid that I was going to walk back in the room and he would say it out loud, but he did not. I am so happy that he took that news with him and had the joy of knowing the name of his grandson before anyone else.

This is an excerpt of a poem sent to me by a friend. “So, when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we are far apart, for every time you think of me, I am right there in your heart.”

I know that Bryan will live on in all our memories. I want us all today to remember the man he was - warm, loving, thoughtful, caring, fun loving, curious, funny, interesting, happy, courageous. I want all of you to remember him every time you open a bottle of wine, read a silly joke, play a round of golf, watch the Rams play, look at your grandchildren, hug your spouses. I want you to remember the joy he gave to me over our 47-year relationship and know that while I am heartbroken today, those memories will keep him alive in my heart forever.

Thank you all for being here for me, Lauren, Mark and his entire family. It means the world to us all. Read less

Hello, my name is Annette Feliciani, Bryan’s wife. I met Bryan when I was 18 when we were both attending Cal State Fullerton. We connected almost immediately, and everyone knew we were meant for each other. Even my sorority gave me the “I Belong with Bryan” award in my senior year. I am proud to have some of those sorority sisters who knew us then here today as well as others from Cal State Fullerton where we both gave our time and financial support.

We were married young after 4 years of dating... Read more and this March would have been our 43rd wedding anniversary. We had our ups and downs over the years, but we learned to communicate what was important and focus on what really mattered – our wonderful daughter Lauren, our family, our community and our faith.

Bryan pursued a career in insurance based on a night class at Cal State Fullerton when an insurance broker spoke. This gentleman, Jim Mclvaney, worked for Johnson and Higgins and Bryan was enamored with the conversation and the career he described and literally followed him to his car at 10 pm at night – by the way Jim later said he thought Bryan was a stalker – and asked him for advice on how to follow his path. He followed it to a tee and worked at many companies, starting as an underwriter with Allstate, eventually was hired by Jim at Johnson and Higgins, then Hobbs Group which eventually became Willis Towers Watson, where he ended his career. Many of his work colleagues over the years are here today as well as the many clients that he interacted with and ultimately called friends.

We stayed in Orange County for many years, building a home on the most amazing street and connecting with the community. Thank you, Hidden Oaks neighbors, for being here today. One early summer evening, while hosting a retirement party for a colleague in our backyard, I overheard Bryan saying he was retiring to Paso Robles. Now, I had never been there before and wondered about this. While cleaning up, I asked him if I was included in those plans, and he just smiled and said, “I’m not going anywhere without you by my side.” We then proceeded to make trips to Paso Robles every month for three years until we found his dream home, perched high on a hill with 360-degree views of rolling vineyards. It became our happy place and we so looked forward to his retirement so we could finally make this our home and Lauren, Mark and their little boy’s legacy. The Paso Robles community opened their arms to us even not being full-time residents and it was because of one reason – Bryan and his ability to connect and engage with people.

Bryan was a man that really saw you – he saw beyond what people did for a living, what car they drove, where they lived, and saw the person. He always remembered key details in a person’s life and asked about it – parents, kids, pets, favorite sports teams, planned trips. It didn’t matter if you were his family, a golfing buddy, a work colleague or a client, he was truly interested in the person and what made them who they were. He made you feel special. He made you feel seen.

After my Dad died, he wrote me the most beautiful letter about how he learned so much from Vince on how to be a husband and a Dad… how to put family first, how to show emotion, how to connect with his kids, how to create experiences with family. He told me he would always remember my dad’s impact on all of us and hoped he could make that same impact on his daughter. He did. He loved her with every part of his being, and he was so very proud of the woman she is and knew she was in good hands with Mark, her husband. He so wanted to be a Poppy to the new little boy Lauren and Mark are expecting. He loved his own Poppy and hoped to show the little guy all the joys of life. He would have been a fabulous Poppy, and I am most sad that he and the little one will never have that opportunity.

Now many of you may be asking why I keep saying “little boy” or “little guy” versus his name. That is because Lauren and Mark have chosen to not reveal the name until his birth. I have tried relentlessly to get them to spill the beans, but alas, they have not. On the morning Bryan passed, Lauren told me that on the Friday before they told Bryan the name in the hospital and he said the name repeatedly and they were so afraid that I was going to walk back in the room and he would say it out loud, but he did not. I am so happy that he took that news with him and had the joy of knowing the name of his grandson before anyone else.

This is an excerpt of a poem sent to me by a friend. “So, when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we are far apart, for every time you think of me, I am right there in your heart.”

I know that Bryan will live on in all our memories. I want us all today to remember the man he was - warm, loving, thoughtful, caring, fun loving, curious, funny, interesting, happy, courageous. I want all of you to remember him every time you open a bottle of wine, read a silly joke, play a round of golf, watch the Rams play, look at your grandchildren, hug your spouses. I want you to remember the joy he gave to me over our 47-year relationship and know that while I am heartbroken today, those memories will keep him alive in my heart forever.

Thank you all for being here for me, Lauren, Mark and his entire family. It means the world to us all. Read less