Tournament of Roses Parade to feature image of Iowan

One of the floats in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif., will feature a “floragraph” of an Eastern Iowa man.

“It definitely embodies who he was, he wasn't a big teeth smiler,” said Shannon Gleason, after looking at the finished portrait of her late brother, which is made up of flowers, seeds and other organic elements. “That's very Brian.”

In 2008, Brian Gleason, a 25-year-old Dubuque native, died from injuries he suffered in a car crash.

On Saturday, wearing matching shirts of support, his family gathered inside the Iowa Donor Network building to put the finishing touches on his floragraph.

“I love to talk about Brian and continue to be proud of him, so when events like this come and I see beautiful works like what's been done on his portrait, it reinforces my belief that he's still with us,” said Rick Gleason, Brian's father.

Brian Gleason's image will join dozens of others on the parade's Donate Life float. His family plans to travel to California to watch his memory pass through the streets of Pasadena. They hope the float will send a strong message about the importance of organ donation.

“If he could make one more person think that (organ) donation is the best that can happen under those horrible situations, then that will be great,” Rick Gleason said.

Brian donated his heart, kidneys, liver, bones, skin, eyes and

various tissue after his death. The donations have helped dozens of people.

“We know he's all over the place, and that makes us very happy,” Rick Gleason said.