Brian Francis Macdonald

Brian Francis MacDonald was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on March 24, 1974. He died September 12, 2022, at Midland Hospice in Topeka of complications from cancer. Brian was a unique individual who followed his own way in life. He was fiercely loyal and supportive to his friends, who were drawn to his warm personality, his quick wit and his seemingly endless supply of knowledge about anything anyone wanted to talk about.

Brian moved from Lawrence to Topeka with his family at a young age and attended Whitson Elementary School, Robinson Middle School and Topeka High School before graduating from Topeka West High in 1992. During his school years, he participated and competed in baseball, soccer and tennis. After leaving organized sports behind, he dedicated much of his time, energy and joy to skateboarding, Ultimate Frisbee, and hanging with his endless supply of friends. After high school he began what would become his life's work when he became a barista at the Original P.T.'s Espresso.

Brian specialized in creating warm and welcoming environments and treating everyone as someone special, because to him, each person was. He also became an artist of the espresso machine, taking time now and then to attend Grateful Dead concerts from California to Chicago. Brian moved to Lawrence, first as a student at the University of Kansas, and then, working as barista at the Java Break before becoming a bartender at the 8th Street Taproom where he became a master of knowledge about The Simpsons and all things Alternative music.

In 2002, Brian moved to San Francisco where he lived in the Richmond District for twelve years, took classes at City College of San Francisco and worked various jobs. He was a longstanding bartender at the (in)famous 540 Club on Clement. It was at the 540 Club that Brian focused his attention on building community through the great social equalizer of the neighborhood bar. He was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane and unusual, including knowledge of music, sports, popular culture and art. He was a fixture at this busy local pub, and many patrons came to the 540 specifically to enjoy Brian's company as he worked.

In 2014, he returned to Topeka and began work as bartender and manager at the Burger Stand in College Hill where he used his knowledge of craft beer to build arguably the best collection of taps in Topeka. While Brian was adept at making drinks, he was at heart an old-school bartender who served as entertaining conversationalist, sometimes providing needed emotional support and tough love when necessary. Many of Brian's friends from his early days in Topeka found him at the Burger Stand, and as always, new friends found him through his work.

With the arrival of covid, Brian was unable to tend bar until he began work at Fedeli's bar and restaurant in the Cyrus Hotel where he worked until his death, doing what he loved--tending a bar and the people who came to it.

It is not possible to count the lives that Brian touched through his work and his outgoing, infectious personality. He drew his knowledge, which was wide-ranging and deep, from many sources. Throughout his life, his friendships were his top priority. He was loyal and never judgmental. He made life an entertaining ride, and he took great joy in small pleasures. He was epecially drawn to nature, plants and insects, especially fireflies and cicadas. His photography shows a keen attention to the details of flowers and the mostly invisible lives and lovely, weird features of bugs that the rest of us seldom if ever notice. He especially loved dogs.

Brian is survived by his parents, John H. MacDonald (Suzanne) and Ann Elmborg (Jim) and his brother, Chris MacDonald (Jessica); his niece India MacDonald and nephew Zooey MacDonald; step-brothers Tyler Jones (Kathy) and Michael Jones (Nia); and a loving family of aunts, uncles and cousins.

Brian was much loved and too soon gone.

A private graveside service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Helping Hands Human Society Inc., 5720 SW 21st Street, Topeka, KS 66604, as a way to honor Brian's memory and his love of animals.

If you wish to make a donation online scroll to the bottom of this page for a link to Helping Hands Humane Society.