Herbert Brewer, Sr. (1929

This memorial site was created in memory of our Dad, Herbert Brewer, Sr. who was born in Kentucky on July 23, 1929 and passed away on August 15, 2006 at the age of 77. He married Alice Mae (Burkhart) Brewer on December 7, 1946 at the tender age of 17 who he remained married to until her death in 1985. He was a father to ten children; Carmon, Carvel, Carl, Carlos, Christene, Irene, Rosalie, Teresa, Alene and Herbie, Jr.

A man born in the same year as the Great Depression, he had learned how to be a survivor and how not to let hard times get you down. On August 15, 2006 my father was involved in a terrible house fire in the middle of the night in his home where we lost him as well as our youngest brother Herbie Brewer, Jr. The tears seem like that they will never stop flowing as we are having to deal with such a great loss.

Our father was a member of the McGee Lodge #144, he was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Scottish Rights, as well as a Hillbilly Shriner in the Masonic Lodge of this fact he was very proud.

He was a great musician and singer playing many different instruments such as the guitar, banjo, mandoline, bass guitar, piano and harmonica. He had appeared in as many as 50 parades, he had been on local television stations many times where sometimes he would play the guitar and harmonica at the same time in a gospel group with his children. He had performed at festivals all over the state such as The String Bean Festival, The Chicken Festival, The Pittsburg Homecoming as well as many different churches. He didn't care what denomination you were, as long as you loved the Lord. He loved music of many kinds, but especially the old stuff such as Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, Jr, Linda Rhondstadt and Red Sovine, but he also loved the newer bluegrass performers such as Allison Krauss and Ricky Scaggs. He was also a big fan of the Blues Brothers. (LOL) He never accepted the fact that John Belushi was gone. Every time he saw impersonaters performing the Blues Brother's songs he would yell, "Hey Elrod, Hey Jake." (LOL) He loved John Candy and Steve Martin. He loved to laugh and he loved to make others laugh as well. He was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day who would give you the shirt right off his back, literally. I believe his favorite song, if he had one, was "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". He sung it almost every time the family got together.

He was offered a music recording contract as a young father in which he declined. He told them he had to, "concentrate on raising his family". He auditioned for another record producer a few years before he died where I was priviledged to sing backup for him. It was wonderful to see how Dad could still make a big record producer from Nashville sit there and pat his foot, smiling from ear to ear. He sang, of course, "Will The Cirlce Be Unbroken". It was an unforgettable experience for me. He again was offered a contract and this time he was pretty seriously considering it. He wanted me to have a CD made with him. Looking back I wish I had've granted him this wish. But this time, I was, as he had in the past, concentrating on raising my family. He never made the CD. I regret not doing this with him. I would love to have a CD of him right now.

Our father was one who had no favorite children. Out of ten children, thirty someodd grandchildren as well as thirty someodd great grandchildren; he loved each one the same. He spoke to us about his great granchildren once and said, "I love my children and my grandchildren so much", then when he started getting great grandchildren he said, "The more they come the more I love'em". He was so happy that his already large family was growing even more and managed to make each one of us feel special and make sure we never went hungry or cold. He could always find that one thing about you that made you so special and him so proud. How can we ever get over the loss of such a Great Father. We lost our mother 21 years ago and our dad never stopped grieving for her. We are glad that he is now with her in the protective arms of Jesus. The picture on the left was our first family photo ever, it was taken in August of 85 and our mother passed away in September of 85. The one on the right was taken in July23, 2006 and our father and brother died in August 15, 2006. Thank the Lord for these pictures. It is the only family photos we have that include all of the children. Someone was always missing.

Christmas 2006
Our family keeps getting smaller and smaller.
We missed you so much Daddy and Little Herbie!!!

Christmas 2007
A very lonesome bunch. Carvel couldn't make it as he was in the hospital. The rest of us tried to enjoy the family we had left. So many Great Grandbabies. They are such a joy.

Herbert Brewer, Sr. was a carpenter, a construction worker a welder and anything else he needed to be to make a living for his wife and children. Never since he was seventeen years old had he been without a job for any amount of time. He worked and raised ten children, sometimes making less than a dollar an hour. He was proud of the fact that he had never had to ask the government for anything. One of his favorite sayings was, "the best way to get on your feet is to get off your butt." He would say, "we're only ever going to have what we work and pay for". Just before he retired at the age of 65, he started working harder than he ever had before. He started his own rebuilt transmission business from his home and worked everyday all the way up until the time of his death at the age of 77 on that and various other projects he had started. If he got bored you could find him outside shingling the roof of an another outbuilding he had just out of the blue decided he needed. (My goodness, we worried about him so afraid he would be by himself and fall off of one of those roofs.) Even though he worked everyday he still managed to find the time to visit his children and his many other loved ones and friends.
    Because of how badly my father and brother were burned, they could not be embalmed and we had to have their memorial service and have them buried just two days after the fire. Thanks to the television and newspaper people got the word about their passing and there were over 1600 people (more who said, "they couldn't get to the book to sign and would we please write their name in,") who attended his and my brothers memorial service, in a town of just over 10,000 that was almost unheard of. That should tell you how much my father and brother were loved.
    Our dad used to ask us to go to my mother's and older brother's website, he would have us type what he was feeling on their site. It was hard for us to do this because we could see how much he still missed them after all this time. I'm so glad we did for now we can go back and look at these words and see just what our father was saying and feeling.
    Our father was only in the hospital one time in his 77 years and if he hadn't have been out of his head with fever to where we could drag him to the hospital, he wouldn't have went then. He lived a full and wonderful life. We are all so glad that he is with Mommy and Carlos and Herbie in Heaven, we are just dreadful sorry for us; for it will be a long and lonesome road from here.
    Dad never had one drink of beer or did any type of drugs in his 77 years. He took one low dose aspirin a day for high blood pressure and that was it. He would not take the high blood pressure medicine the doctor's said he needed. He was told he had blockages in his neck and heart, he said, "he didn't have anysuch thing, those doctors were just trying to make more money." (LOL) He was still a very strong and verile man when the fire so shockingly took his life. Even though some days you could see he was growing weary and tired. He never complained.
    When you have such a wonderful father you know you are blessed, but then when something like this happens you feel you are truly cursed, cursed with the longing to see them again.
Please pray for our family as we go through this dreadful time and we will be praying for all of you.

Please visit the websites of my mother and my two brothers by clicking on the picures or links below:

www.alice-brewer.memory-of.com;
www.carlos-brewer.memory-of.com;
www.herbie-brewer.memory-of.com;

My Dad was a Shriner and a Great supporter of the Shriner's Hospital. Please if you don't know what they are doing for little children, Free of Charge, Go there today through this link: You will be amazed!!
www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/_Hospitals_for_Children/