June 1st, 2003 is the day that my parents, Brian and Beverly Linning, took over owning and operating Bark ‘N’ Town. In the just under 21 years since that day, a LOT has changed. Our services have changed and evolved, our building has seen repairs and improvements, staff members have come and gone, and thousands of pets have stayed with us. However, in that time one of the few constants was Brian and Beverly’s ownership and dedication to Bark ‘N’ Town.

Last September, my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. He fought hard and long, but ultimately he is now resting at peace with God in Heaven. Though while his mortal presence is no longer with us, he will still remain with all of us in spirit through the legacy that he has built up throughout his time on this earth.

While my dad hasn’t been working the day to day here at Bark ‘N’ Town for a little while now, his influence is still clear. From the colors of our logos to the training videos we have of him showing how to do some small repairs all the way down to the wires and cables he put up to get our different electronics hooked up in the building, there isn’t a place you can go around here that he didn’t have some sort of impact on.

While all of that is true, his influence spans FAR beyond the walls of Bark ‘N’ Town and FAR beyond the property line. My dad did lots of stuff around town and beyond to impact people all over the place. From serving on the Wauconda Area Chamber of Commerce for many years in multiple roles including Chamber President to helping film High School Marching Band performances, his presence was definitely known around town. He also ran a successful IT business, Linning Associates, that helped numerous businesses at a local and national level with their various tech needs.

And then his legacy also lives on in me, my siblings, my mom, his extended family, his friends, and every other person he interacted with throughout his life. I was speaking with a close friend of mine recently about all of this and he brought up to me the fact that this wasn’t the end for my dad. Every single person that has ever interacted with my dad has a version of him that lives on in their mind built up with every interaction they had with him. We all have a little bit of him that lives on and goes through the rest of our lives with us.

So, as I said before, even though Brian’s mortal presence is no longer with us, Brian is still very much going to be with us for the rest of our lives. There is a Hemmingway quote something along the lines of everyone dies twice, once when you are buried in the ground and again when your name is said for the last time. So, with that, I don’t foresee my dad truly dying any time soon, he and his legacy will carry on for countless days into the future.