Frederick John Brink, age 64 of Banning, CA, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 following several health complications.  He was born on July 16, 1952 in Downey, CA, the son of Robert & Rosemary Brink.  Fred was employed as an independent insurance adjustor for many years in California.  He married the love of his life, Kathy Miller (formerly of Elwood, Indiana), on April 26, 1981, and they shared nearly 36 years of marriage together.  Fred's surviving family includes his beautiful wife, Kathy Brink of Banning, CA; 4 children, Christie Jensen, Jessica Brink, Hilary Anderson, and Christopher Kane (wife Jamie) Brink; 2 sisters, Beverly Orendain and Patricia (husband Robert) Kelley; brother, Frederick Malcomb (wife Linda) Brink; and 5 precious grandchildren, Melia, Jacob, Brittany, Samantha, and Brennan.  Fred was preceded in death by his loving parents; son, Raymond Brink; and brother, James Brink.

Fred had several passions in life, and his first passion was his family.  He loved deeply and taught his children about how loving your family was most important in life.  It's this value that has helped shape who they are today.  Fred had a larger than life presence and although he appeared gruff and almost anti-social on the outside, his loved ones knew him to be very tender, compassionate and family-loving on the inside.  He shared this side of himself when someone was sick or in need, and he had such a compassionate and selfless way about him. He liked to be present in his family's lives and often scheduled his time around their schedules just to hang out.  His daughter, Hilary, shared that her biggest lesson from her father was about forgiveness.  For this family, Fred was definitely the go-to person to get things done and make people feel loved and cared for.

His second passion was his beloved dogs - Bo, Pippin and Zoey.  With each one, he had a very special relationship.  He taught them tricks, took them on trips, and was inseparable from them.

His third passion was motorcycles, especially Harley Davidsons and Honda Goldwings.  This was one of his greatest passions and what he shared with Kathy and with great friends through the years.  He took long trips around the country and often attended bike fests in Las Vegas and the Yuma Prison. He loved to plan these trips and found joy in obsessing about each detail, often too excited to sleep the night before.  One of his most memorable trips was to Colorado with his son, Chris – a real time of bonding.  A favorite family event that he did as often as he could was riding motorcycles with Kathy to his sister Beverly's home in Yuma to play poker, drink beer, eat his brother-in-law Frank's famous huevos rancheros, and just enjoy family.

Another passion was cooking.  Was Fred a foodie?  He loved to make chili – improving upon his recipe with each batch, while intently watching The Food Network for new tricks and tips.  He was also a master at barbeque and had more grills and smokers than he knew what to do with, specializing in different sauces and rubs.  A related passion of Fred's was whiskey.  Fred loved to sip on his Jack Daniels.  One of his claims to fame was that he owned a square inch of unrecorded property on the distillery's grounds – he was very proud of it!  Last, Fred had a passion for music.  He had an uncanny ability to pick up any instrument and play it by ear.  Also, if Fred was anything, he was upfront and you always knew where you stood with him.  This was quite refreshing and made him an easy person to be around.

Following cremation, a Life Celebration Party for Fred will be held on Saturday, July 15th, 2017 from 1 to 6 PM at the Hilton Homewood Suites, 885 E. Hospitality Lane, San Bernardino, CA.  Copher-Fesler-May Funeral Home is honored to assist the Brink family with arrangements.  Online expressions of condolence may be made to the Brink family at www.copherfeslermay.com .