WILMINGTON — Brian Anthony Bousquet died Thursday, December 12, 2024 at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, SC. He was 69.
Son of the late Eleanor Bousquet of Wyoming, RI, and Donald Bousquet, of Charlestown, Brian was born on June 11, 1955, in Pawtucket, RI. While a young boy, Brian and his family moved to a retired farm property off Route 138 in West Kingston, where he discovered a lifelong love for freshwater fishing – specifically at Beaver River. During this period he attended Richmond Elementary School.
After his parents bought a home in the hamlet of Wyoming in Hope Valley, 12-year-old Brian eagerly awaited every opening day of fishing season. As a teenager, he caught the music bug and learned to play the drums. He and his Chariho-area schoolmates, including the Garlick brothers Dave and Larry, and Leonard “Bear” Taylor, drew crowds at parties and school dances with covers of songs by the Grass Roots, Rolling Stones and Steppenwolf, among many others. He later performed with the Sammy Brown Band throughout New England.
After departing Chariho High School, Brian began an odyssey of traveling throughout the country pursuing his dream as a professional drummer. In the mid-1970s, he joined a Connecticut-based band, Silverado. They eventually went on to Los Angeles to record albums for RCA Records. “Taking It All in Stride” (1977) features Brian singing backup vocals.
Ultimately, the rock-star fantasy faded and he joined a profession perfectly suited to his charming and gregarious personality: real estate sales. This vocation took him from New Hampshire to Wisconsin, Atlanta, Little River and Myrtle Beach, SC. In 2004, he helped his sister Karen move from Manassas, VA, Wilmington, NC, where he lived until last year. A serious fall in early 2023 began a series of hospitalizations until he ultimately passed away in South Carolina last week.
Besides his late parents, Brian is survived by six siblings: Alice Connors of Plattsburgh, NY; Don (and Laura) Bousquet of South Kingstown, RI; Steve (and Nancy Leikauf) Bousquet of Tallahassee, FL; Leslie Bousquet and Kristen Bousquet, both of South Kingstown; and Karen Bousquet of Wilmington, NC. He also is survived by four nephews: Nathan (and Megan) Bousquet of Charlestown; Michael (and Justine) Bousquet of South Kingstown; Stephen Bousquet Jr. of Tallahassee, FL; and Christopher (and Sharon) Bousquet of Matthews, NC, as well as two great-nieces and one great-nephew.
A memorial service for Brian will be held in South County (RI) at a later date.
