Honoring the Memory
of Those
We Love

James Brian Rutherford passed away on Thursday, February 1, 2024 in his sleep in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For the best part of a decade he had been working with Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services and with accessibility groups for the blind and disabled in and around Pittsburgh. A group he was closely associated with and a member of was The Golden Triangle Council for the Blind.

He was born on January 7, 1972 in Grafton, West Virginia to parents James Robert “Bob” Rutherford and Janet Ina (Smith) Hawkins. Growing up mostly in Fairmont, West Virginia, Brian found his love for reading and theatre. While attending Fairmont Catholic High School and graduating from West Fairmont High School, Brian was heavily involved with the theatre and show choir programs. He carried his love for theatre into college to attend Point Park College, graduating in 1994 with a BFA in costuming.

A lifetime love of Disney led to his moving to Orlando, Florida in 1997 and working at Walt Disney World in their costuming and entertainment departments. He had the time of his life! Along the way he found a wife, Kristie, and they had a son, Max, and spent 13 loving years together. Moving to Walker, Louisiana in 2008 he went back to his love for theatre and worked for local companies like Playmakers and New Venture in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In 2010 he suffered 4 consecutive strokes and unfortunately received optic nerve damage causing him to almost completely lose his eyesight. It was a testament to the kind of person he was that he spent no time grieving the loss of his eyesight but rather immediately doing research about his condition and programs for the blind. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the resources he needed in Louisiana, so he moved back to Pittsburgh after a divorce in 2014. His good friend Andy Ostrowski took him in and assisted him in almost every aspect of his life up until Brian’s passing in 2024.

Brian was quite gregarious. He loved people and loved getting in long conversations, usually about Sondheim. If you were friends or family, you always knew you were getting a birthday card and he could crack himself up with his dad jokes! He was probably the most responsible person we knew which usually made him a favorite amongst his teachers and managers. He had a huge heart and a brilliant mind. He had a wicked dark humor and to many he was a source of joy, comfort, kindness and knowledge, and that presence will be missed by all.

He is survived by his son James Maxwell Rutherford; father James Robert “Bob” Rutherford (Nellie); former spouse Kristie Delaine (Doming) Rutherford; half brother Michael Phillips; half sisters Beth and Bridget Hawkins; stepbrothers Todd, Mark, and Rick Rutherford; former mother-in-law Ethel Lorraine Doming; best friends Brian Barefoot and Andrew David Ostrowski; preceded in death by grandfather Calvin Coolidge Smith and grandmother Ina Beatrice “Nana” Smith; grandparents Carl and Hazel Rutherford; mother Janet Ina (Smith) Hawkins and best friend Monte Smock. A Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 1:00 pm in The Liberty Magic, 811 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222. There are also plans of a memorial at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25367 Riverton Avenue, Denham Springs, LA 70726 on March 2, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. Arrangements handled by the John F. Slater Funeral Home, Inc., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood 15227.