Mr. Brewster was born on July 1, 1950, in Logan, West Virginia, a booming coal mining town in his youth burrowed among the verdant mountains for which the state is known. Mr. Brewster was the only child of Joseph Farley Brewster and Rose Mae Wilburn and lived an idyllic childhood just a few miles outside of Logan in Holden, West Virginia.
From an early age Mr. Brewster watched as his parents pursued hard work—and their dreams—with unwavering determination. That influence, paired with the young Mr. Brewster’s own tendencies toward tenacity, positivity, and resolve became the personal refrain guiding everything he did in life.
When Mr. Brewster was a child, he rose before sunrise and school to complete a paper route—the thud of progress as each Gazette landed on a neighbor’s front stoop. As a teenager, he stocked supplies at a grocery store, saving until he had enough for a down payment on his first car, a classic 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. As an adult, his perseverance emanated from everything he did: When his sons Justin and Jon found themselves on a soccer team without a coach, he volunteered and then promptly bought a book to teach himself the game.
But his perseverance might not be demonstrated better than through his meteoric rise in his career: In 1975, after leaving Logan and studying economics for two years at Marshall University, Mr. Brewster took a job at Superior Manufacturing Company in Winston-Salem. There he first worked in the factory’s plant and then moved through every part of the company learning its DNA until he became president in 2002. He retired in 2012 after 37 years at the company.
All of that determination was not without cause, his family says. Mr. Brewster was motivated to “go big” in everything he did because of his commitment to his family, who were the greatest loves of his life.
Mr. Brewster was spotted by his wife Frances Zappia Brewster while walking down the streets of their hometown near her father’s cobbler’s shop. Mr. Brewster had seen Frances, too, cruising around Logan in her shiny red 1968 Dodge Charger. She took matters into her own hands, showing up at the grocery store where he worked and asking him where to find the frozen French fries. From that moment on, a true love story was written. Over the next 57 years they were blessed with 4 children, eleven grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and a lifetime of love.
Mr. Brewster’s children say they learned important lessons from their dad, the refrain they can still hear......You made a commitment kid, follow it through.”, ......“Give it your all”,.....”If there is something that you don’t like, change it.”, and “always show up.”
And once they committed to something, so did Mr. Brewster. He showed up to soccer and basketball games, swim meets, and cheerleading competitions. At high school football games, where his youngest daughter Sara was leading her cheer team, he stood on the sidelines for hours with the other “cheer dads” to protect the girls from being injured during any runaway plays. In between those plays, Mr. Brewster would let Sara know what was happening in the game so that she would know which cheers to call.
Mr. Brewster’s sharp wit kept everyone laughing, and his kindness made them feel like they belonged. Friends and friends of friends were always welcome in his home. He took care of his family and took pride in making his home and yard beautiful. He rescued dying potted flowers and brought them back to life on his back porch arboretum. He was known to show up at his children’s homes ready to paint that shelf, weed that garden, or spread those pine needles that were languishing as to-dos on their lists. And day in and out, Mr. Brewster never forgot what it felt like to struggle: One election year, recognizing that everyone cannot easily take time off work to go vote, he supported his employees going to the polls while on the clock.
Mr. Brewster’s home was always filled with music: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Huey Lewis and the News, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Roy Clark, Dusty Springfield, Motown on repeat. A favorite pastime was watching a golf tournament on T.V. on mute with The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” playing. He was an avid golfer himself, playing some of the most well-known courses in England and Scotland and in 2011 convinced Mrs. Brewster to move to a golfing community, Bermuda Run Country Club in Advance, N.C. where he was often surrounded by his family, who were constant visitors making it his own piece of paradise.
Preceding Mr. Brewster in death are parents Joseph Farley Brewster and Rose Mae Wilburn Brewster and two sisters, Geraldine Rice and Gloria Jean Vance. Surviving is one sister, Gail Gessner.
Mr. Brewster is also survived by his wife, Frances Zappia Brewster; a daughter , Rebecca Wallace, a son Justin and wife Gini; a son Jon and wife Christina; and a daughter Sara; grandchildren Jacqueline, Jenna, Beau, Payton, Ascher, Waylon, Colten, Isaac, Hank, Martha Rose and Thomas; and six great-grandchildren Landon, Connor, Sophiera, Graycee, Marshall, and Amelia.
A celebration of life will be held in June.
In lieu of flowers, Donations in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society
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