Brian Malloy

Brian George Malloy, 60, following a courageous nine-month battle with Stage IV lung cancer, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2020, at UPMC Western Maryland while holding the hands of his wife and daughter. Born at Memorial Hospital in Cumberland on November 19, 1959, Brian was preceded in death by his parents, Leo Francis Malloy and Joella Raphael (Smith) Malloy, and an infant brother, Jeffery Francis Malloy.

Brian worked hard his entire life.  As a young boy growing up in Mt. Savage, he washed and waxed cars and mowed lawns for many families in his neighborhood.  In fact, he was so good at cleaning vehicles that, before he got his driver’s license, Roadway Express allowed him to drive home truck cabs to clean them.  As a senior in high school, Brian enrolled in a career-based education program that allowed him to shadow workers in various occupations. As part of this program, he was assigned to shadow journeyman wiremen working on the construction of the Thomas B. Finan Center in Cumberland. That experience changed his life. In his own words, Brian thought “where else could I go to get an education, learn a trade, and have that much fun at work.”

Following his graduation from Bishop Walsh High School, he applied to the Western Maryland JATC apprenticeship program, and he was accepted on his second try – which was no small feat.  In 1979, Brian was initiated into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“IBEW”) Local Union 307 in Cumberland. Brian was elected President of Local 307 in 1986. During his time as President, Brian served as local union Organizer and Assistant Business Manager. He held these positions until 1991 when he was appointed Business Manager. During his tenure as Business Manager, he also served as a member for a 5‐year term on the Council on Industrial Relations (CIR), Secretary‐Treasurer of the Western Maryland Building and Construction Trades Council, Area Vice‐President of the Maryland State and DC AFL‐CIO, member of the Maryland Governor’s Economic Development Taskforce, and member of the Maryland Judicial Nominating Committee. Brian was also active in the community during this time, volunteering to install fans in all classrooms at Saint John Neaumann, his daughter’s elementary school, coordinating security and parking for the Rocky Gap Music Festival, and fundraising for important local initiatives and organizations. Brian was elected as Business Manager three times until his appointment as an International Representative assigned to the IBEW’s Fourth District in 2001.

Brian served the IBEW as an International Representative until 2017, when he became the International Vice President of the IBEW’s Fourth District, overseeing the business of the IBEW’s Local Unions across Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia and advocating on behalf of its over 52,000 members and their families. Of the 775,000 active members and retirees of the entire IBEW, Brian was one of only eleven Vice Presidents.  Brian built a career in the IBEW by putting the interests of the membership above personal ambition and upholding the reputation of the IBEW like it was his own.  He was genuine and made it a point to treat everyone like they were important – Brian could fit in just as easily on a job site as in a board room.

Over the 41 years he was an IBEW member, Brian helped countless families and formed deep friendships throughout the labor movement.  These friendships were so evident over the last nine months.  Whether it was helping Brian finish projects around the house, keeping his mailbox full with messages of encouragement and support, searching for matching mini bikes for him and his grandson (then driving hundreds of miles to deliver them in person as a surprise), or taking his grandson for his first putting practice session and buying him his first putter, Brian’s friends did everything humanly possible to remind him and his family that they were not alone, even at the most difficult and lonely times.  Brian’s friends are the best and they are forever family.

Brian is survived by his wife of 38 years, an angel on earth, Susie, their daughter, Breana, who is so much like him in so many ways, his son-in-law, Brett, who was like a son to Brian, and his grandson, Carson, who was his best friend.  In their three short years together, Carson and Brian enjoyed weekly Wednesday lunches together, countless bedtime seek-and-find books, rides around the neighborhood on the John Deere tractor, nights spent in the garage pretending to drive, beeping horns, and learning the years, makes, and models of all of their cars, hours rooting through tool boxes learning the names of tools, what they do, and how to use them.  It is clear to everyone who knows Carson that he is so much like his Poppy.  Poppy’s love of clean cars, shiny shoes, classic country music, Family Feud, and the Andy Griffith Show, have all been inherited by Carson.  We have no doubt that Carson will be like Poppy: a jack-of-all-trades who could fix or rig anything to make it work.

Brian is also survived by one brother, Patrick Malloy (Mark) of New York, one sister, Rae Ann Pfaff (Pete) of Eckhart, their daughter, Brian’s niece, Evin Pfaff (Levi) of Bedford, a special cousin who was like a brother, George Koontz of Mt. Savage, numerous cousins and an extended family of many special nieces and nephews.

For the 276 days Brian knew he had lung cancer, he maintained hope that his disease would become a manageable, chronic condition, and he would be able to use this tragedy to prevent it from happening to others.  Unfortunately, despite having the best doctors and support system, his disease never became manageable.  However, on Brian’s behalf his family would like everyone reading this to know that despite the fact that he was a former smoker (having quit a decade ago) when Brian was diagnosed late last year, he was an active and otherwise healthy 59 year old with no signs or symptoms of illness.  Brian’s first symptom presented as a backache, which was caused by the spread of cancer to Brian’s spine.  Brian’s case is common.  Lung cancer is rarely detected until it has spread beyond the lungs.  In the United States, it is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and it is the leading cause of cancer-related death.  While current and former smokers are at a higher risk of getting lung cancer, as Brian’s doctor told us at our first visit, anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.  The second biggest risk factor for lung cancer is exposure to radon gas.  Radon gas is prevalent in Western Maryland.  Testing for radon gas is not required by state or federal law, so it is important to be proactive and make sure your home is tested and remediation completed if necessary.  The best-case scenario for lung cancer is to catch it early.  The American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control recommend yearly lung cancer screening using a low-dose CT scan for those at a higher risk beginning at age 55.  If you are reading this and are at a higher risk for lung cancer, please talk to your doctor about screening.  If you are reading this and you are a smoker, please stop.  Someday, you may have a grandson/grandaughter, you may become a Poppy, and that may be the title that you love the most in life – it shouldn’t be the one you have for the least amount of time.

Private services conducted by Father Eric Gauchat of Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Parish were held on August 25, 2020.  In accordance with Brian’s wishes he was cremated.  Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and Brian’s over 40-year dedication to the labor movement, friends will be received at a drive-by visitation to be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2020 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. outside of the Malloy residence.

Brian’s family would like to express their gratitude to his entire healthcare team, including Dr. David Bohn at Accent on Health Chiropractic, Dr. Brian Stratta of the Hyndman Area Health Center, Dr. Qamar Zaman at UMPC Western Maryland, and Dr. Vincent Lam, Dr. Russell Hales and their excellent team of nurses and nurse practitioners at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and the nursing staff at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and UMPC Western Maryland for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, Brian’s family encourages donations to be made in his name to the LUNGevity Foundation at https://lungevity.donordrive.com/campaign/BGMalloy. Proceeds from this tribute fund will benefit LUNGevity Foundation, the leading private provider of research funding for lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease.

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