Although he was 54, in a way, Brian Webb’s life was just beginning in the spring of 2018.
He had just earned his bachelor’s degree in health administration from Peirce College and was getting ready for one of the proudest moments of his life: walking across the stage at graduation to accept his diploma. He had also recently been accepted into a master’s program at St. Joseph’s University.
But Brian didn’t make it to his graduation. On May 16, 2018, in the Overbrook neighborhood of West Philadelphia where he grew up with his three siblings, his life ended violently in a shooting. His mother, Juanita Webb, had to attend the gra
duation ceremony to accept his diploma in his place.
“My heart breaks that he didn’t live to walk at graduation,” Juanita said. “I had to walk across stage for him.”
Brian, the youngest of Juanita’s four children, was a generous man with a magnetic personality, always ready to lend a hand to her or their neighbors in Overbrook if they needed help with yardwork. He enjoyed gardening and was meticulous about it, she said.
“When he cut a lawn, he didn’t just cut the lawn. He really manicured the lawn,” his mother said. “I always marveled at him.”
He was quick to give neighbors who didn’t have extra cash a break on paying him for the job, his sister, Donna Morgan-Webb recalled. “That’s just the type of person he was,” Donna said. “The people in the neighborhood, they just loved him.”
Besides gardening, Brian also enjoyed cooking, often making his special-recipe buffalo wings for Donna and the rest of the family. He was always there to offer a listening ear and brotherly advice, too, his sister said.
“If I had a question about something or I had a problem, he was never too busy to take the time to listen,” Donna said. “He always gave good advice. I really miss him terribly.”
Brian was born in Philadelphia Nov. 25, 1963 and grew up on a quiet, tree-lined street in Overbrook. A skilled student from an early age, Brian was accepted at Philadelphia’s prestigious Masterman High School. But instead, his mother said, he opted to attend his neighborhood school in Overbrook to be with his friends.
He went on to graduate and later enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as a telecommunications officer for two years. After his military service, Brian spent 18 years working for the Philadelphia Water Department. It was about four years ago that he came to his mother with the news that he planned to go back to school to earn a degree.
“I said, ‘Are you serious, Brian?’” Juanita recalled with a smile. “I was just amazed by him.”
Brian first earned his associate’s from the Community College of Philadelphia, then went on to earn his bachelor’s from Peirce, where he quickly became a student admired by his classmates and teachers alike.
“[Brian] nearly always attended class on campus, was a bright student with a great sense of humor, a gentleman, and a nice person. He was friendly and kind to everyone,” wrote Jacqueline Penrod, assistant professor of health programs, who taught Brian in several classes, in a letter to Peirce administrators. “I will miss seeing what Brian could have done with all the possibilities that were ahead. I am certain that his contributions will be sorely missed.”
Brian excelled in his studies. At both CCP and Peirce, his name was a regular addition to the dean’s list. He would have officially accepted his diploma during Peirce’s graduation ceremony at the Kimmel Center on June 11—less than a month after he was shot.
Peirce College invited his mother to attend the ceremony and accept his diploma in his place. She has his diploma framed in her home, along with his cap-and-gown portraits, proudly displayed.
“I remember saying so many times, ‘You’re so smart. I’m so proud of you,’” Juanita said. “He would always say, ‘I wish daddy could have seen it.’”
Besides his sister and mother, Brian is survived by a niece and nephew, as well as several extended family members. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Webb, older brother, David Webb, and older sister, Paulette Webb Hale.
Brian’s killing remains unsolved. The City of Philadelphia offers a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in any homicide.
“He didn’t live to see his degree, but I know in my heart whoever did it, [by] either their conscience or the law, they will be caught,” Juanita said. “It’s overwhelming. It reaches down to your soul because your children are not supposed to go before you, especially in such a tragic way.”
