His paternal grandparents, Michael M. Schweitzer and Franziska Schwahn, were ethnic German immigrants, who were originally from Strassburg, Kuchurhan, Odessa (now in Ukraine). His maternal grandparents, Michael McKernan (from Tyrone) and Hannah Friel (from Donegal), were Irish. Brian is a first cousin, once removed, of entertainer
Lawrence Welk (Brian's paternal grandmother was a sister of Lawrence's mother, Christiana Schwahn).