Brian Harvey Whitley (a.k.a Softy) was born January 26, 1960 in Spenard, Alaska to John and Ann Whitley. Brian, his parents and two sisters (Pam and Barbara) moved to Washington in 1964.

Brian attended Auburn Adventist Academy and graduated in 1979. After graduation he tried several different jobs including construction, painting, commercial fishing and a short time in the King County Police Department. He finally found his calling in January, 1985, when he joined King County Fire District 46 and started his fire career, rising to the rank of Battalion Chief. When that department joined the Mountain View Fire District, Brian worked in training and taught for over 10 years. He retired in January, 2016.

Brian was always active. He ran distance in high school, loved to ski, rock and ice climb, fish, duck hunt and kayak. He competed in triathlons, and raced motorcycles and sidecars. Surprising many, he also loved to garden. His latest adventures were riding his motorcycles, especially on logging roads in the Olympic Mountains, always loving to share the new places he found to explore.

Brian and his wife, Rose, met in 1992 and were married March 5, 1994. They lived in the Auburn/Enumclaw area for over 20 years before building their dream home in Ocean Shores in 2012. They always wanted to live on water and were able to build there on a beautiful canal. They spent much of their time since then sitting on the dock, enjoying the sun, and going for boat rides on the 23 miles of waterway they called home together.

Brian will be best remembered by his wife Rose, Mike and Amy Gibson (family), Morgan Gibson (Goddaughter), Erika Gibson (Goddaughter), Steve and Narcissa Floyd (family), Nate (best friend) and Megan Jendrick (family), Gary and Christi Ericksen (brother and sister in-law), Kenneth Van De Steeg (brother in-law), Gerrit and Carolyn Erickson (nephew and niece in-law), DJ and Janae Page (family), Kelly D'Arcy (family), Roger and Lisa Wheeler (family), The Man Day Group, Scott and Lisa Nelson (friends), the Iron Pig Nation, and so many others.

Brian touched more lives than he knew.
Brian was LOVED more than all the stars in the sky.
He was My Love, My Doc

Donations can be made in Brian's memory to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

I love you and I like your hair.
I love you too and I like your mustache.