Brian Paul Koski

Brian Paul Koski, 58, of Battle Creek, passed away suddenly on Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Calhoun County.

Brian was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on October 28, 1963, to Donald Koski and Jeanette (Hendrickson) Koski.   He was a 1981 graduate of Battle Creek Central High School.

Brian was united in marriage to Terese Thiessen on May 20, 1987, at St. Phillip Catholic Church chapel.   Together, they raised a daughter Lia and a son Paul.

Nicknames were commonly used in the Koski family.  Brian’s dad called him “Chick-a-Boo-Bri-Guy-Mannequin-Boy”, or “chick” for short.   Another one, which was especially fitting was “McGyver.”  Amazingly resourceful, he could fix anything, and sometimes would fashion his own tools or parts out of whatever materials he could find on hand.

Brian was a master craftsman, learning the trade from his father, working at Lam-Fab in Battle Creek.   Later, he moved to Duncan Aviation, using his skills to re-furbish the intricate interiors of various aircraft.    In 2015 he decided to move to the engineering department at Duncan.   It didn’t matter to Brian, or the company, that he had no formal education in engineering.   He had skills and instincts that no school can teach.

Brian was a talented, self-taught, guitarist with flawless technique, an impeccable sense of time, and an endless supply of creative musical ideas.    One of his bands opened for a national act several years ago at the State Theater in Kalamazoo.  Some of the workers later confided that the headliner band wasn’t too happy because the local group was way too good!   He loved to play the music that he wanted to play and built an impressive recording studio in his home, where he got together almost weekly with his friends to create original music, using the classic guitars in his collection.

Brian loved the outdoors and spent as much time as he could at the cabin built by in 1960 by his grandfather near the Two-Hearted River on the East Branch Sportsman’s Club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.   He passed on that love to his son, and grandson.   He was an avid golfer, and well-known at Binder Park Golf Course.

He was skilled at fixing cars and had a passion for hunting for great auto deals on high-quality vehicles online.

He loved dogs, especially his boy Abe, and as a result, they loved him.  Even the most cantankerous K9 instantly loved Brian the second he walked through the door.   Brian had a similar effect on people.   He genuinely and open-heartedly loved everyone and was a father figure to so many in his family.

Brian was preceded in death by his mother, Jeanette.   He is survived by his father Don and stepmother Kathy, his wife of 35 years Terese, two children Lia Koski and Paul Koski (Kayla), his grandchildren Riley and Kylie, his brother Jeff (Barb) Koski, sister Debbie (Tim) Culver, many nieces and nephews, and aunts and uncles, and many cousins.

Cremation has taken place.  A funeral mass will be held at St. Philip Catholic Church, 112 Capital Ave NE, Battle Creek, MI 49017, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 5 pm at the Binder Park Golf Course.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan or the Humane Society of South-Central Michigan. For those interested in making a memorial contribution to the family, a trust has been set up and the family respectfully requests funds be sent to Deborah Culver for administration. Arrangements were entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 2838 Capital Ave SW, Battle Creek, MI 49068. Please visit https://www.kempffuneralhome.com to view the online obituary, sign the guest book, and leave messages for the family.