Former Quail resident Joe Russell Brewer, 92, of Yakima, Washington, died Thursday, November 27.
Russell, as he was known to family and friends was born January 19, 1916 in Camden, Tennessee to David Aulce Brewer and Ollie Herndon Brewer. When he was seven, his parents moved to Quail in search of affordable land for farming. He grew up there with five brothers, all of whom worked on the farm and its cotton fields.
He graduated from Marella High School and married his high school sweetheart Willie (Billie) Maried Melton. They moved to Garden City, Kansas where Russell landed a job selling cars. The start of WW II put a halt to auto sales, so they moved to southern California where he worked through the remainder of the war in a shipyard producing PT boats for the US Navy. He then resumed his career in auto sales, initially with Studebaker and later with a large Cadillac dealership in Santa Ana, California. He went on to receive numerous honors and awards for his sales prowess.
He and Billie had a son and two daughters. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything else. Around the house, he could fix anything that needed repair. He and Billie were active in the Santa Ana First Methodist Church, where Russell served for many years as an usher for Sunday services. He loved fishing, especially at the Newport pier with his own father, and he shared fun hunting trips with his circle of friends.
In the 1970's they relocated to Yakima, Washington in order to be closer to their children. He worked for a time with the local Cadillac dealership and the GMC/Honda dealership. After his retirement from auto sales he continued to work part-time in property management.
Russell could captivate family, friends and even strangers with his tales about depression-era life in the dust bowl and his subsequent experiences in the 40's, 50's and 60's as California bloomed.
He was known for his ever-present sense of humor, which remained with him until the very end, even in the face of a losing battle with lung cancer.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Billie, by all five brothers, and a sister who died in childhood.
He is survived by a son, Dr. Gayle (Shirley) Brewer, and daughters Beverly (Dick Steinmetz) Hammett and Teresa (David) Sjule, all of Yakima; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Linda Robinson of Yakima, who was like a daughter to him.
The Wellington Leader December 4, 2008
Russell, as he was known to family and friends was born January 19, 1916 in Camden, Tennessee to David Aulce Brewer and Ollie Herndon Brewer. When he was seven, his parents moved to Quail in search of affordable land for farming. He grew up there with five brothers, all of whom worked on the farm and its cotton fields.
He graduated from Marella High School and married his high school sweetheart Willie (Billie) Maried Melton. They moved to Garden City, Kansas where Russell landed a job selling cars. The start of WW II put a halt to auto sales, so they moved to southern California where he worked through the remainder of the war in a shipyard producing PT boats for the US Navy. He then resumed his career in auto sales, initially with Studebaker and later with a large Cadillac dealership in Santa Ana, California. He went on to receive numerous honors and awards for his sales prowess.
He and Billie had a son and two daughters. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything else. Around the house, he could fix anything that needed repair. He and Billie were active in the Santa Ana First Methodist Church, where Russell served for many years as an usher for Sunday services. He loved fishing, especially at the Newport pier with his own father, and he shared fun hunting trips with his circle of friends.
In the 1970's they relocated to Yakima, Washington in order to be closer to their children. He worked for a time with the local Cadillac dealership and the GMC/Honda dealership. After his retirement from auto sales he continued to work part-time in property management.
Russell could captivate family, friends and even strangers with his tales about depression-era life in the dust bowl and his subsequent experiences in the 40's, 50's and 60's as California bloomed.
He was known for his ever-present sense of humor, which remained with him until the very end, even in the face of a losing battle with lung cancer.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Billie, by all five brothers, and a sister who died in childhood.
He is survived by a son, Dr. Gayle (Shirley) Brewer, and daughters Beverly (Dick Steinmetz) Hammett and Teresa (David) Sjule, all of Yakima; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Linda Robinson of Yakima, who was like a daughter to him.
The Wellington Leader December 4, 2008
Former Quail resident Joe Russell Brewer, 92, of Yakima, Washington, died Thursday, November 27.
Russell, as he was known to family and friends was born January 19, 1916 in Camden, Tennessee to David Aulce Brewer and Ollie Herndon Brewer. When he was seven, his parents moved to Quail in search of affordable land for farming. He grew up there with five brothers, all of whom worked on the farm and its cotton fields.
He graduated from Marella High School and married his high school sweetheart Willie (Billie) Maried Melton. They moved to Garden City, Kansas where Russell landed a job selling cars. The start of WW II put a halt to auto sales, so they moved to southern California where he worked through the remainder of the war in a shipyard producing PT boats for the US Navy. He then resumed his career in auto sales, initially with Studebaker and later with a large Cadillac dealership in Santa Ana, California. He went on to receive numerous honors and awards for his sales prowess.
He and Billie had a son and two daughters. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything else. Around the house, he could fix anything that needed repair. He and Billie were active in the Santa Ana First Methodist Church, where Russell served for many years as an usher for Sunday services. He loved fishing, especially at the Newport pier with his own father, and he shared fun hunting trips with his circle of friends.
In the 1970's they relocated to Yakima, Washington in order to be closer to their children. He worked for a time with the local Cadillac dealership and the GMC/Honda dealership. After his retirement from auto sales he continued to work part-time in property management.
Russell could captivate family, friends and even strangers with his tales about depression-era life in the dust bowl and his subsequent experiences in the 40's, 50's and 60's as California bloomed.
He was known for his ever-present sense of humor, which remained with him until the very end, even in the face of a losing battle with lung cancer.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Billie, by all five brothers, and a sister who died in childhood.
He is survived by a son, Dr. Gayle (Shirley) Brewer, and daughters Beverly (Dick Steinmetz) Hammett and Teresa (David) Sjule, all of Yakima; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Linda Robinson of Yakima, who was like a daughter to him.
The Wellington Leader December 4, 2008
Russell, as he was known to family and friends was born January 19, 1916 in Camden, Tennessee to David Aulce Brewer and Ollie Herndon Brewer. When he was seven, his parents moved to Quail in search of affordable land for farming. He grew up there with five brothers, all of whom worked on the farm and its cotton fields.
He graduated from Marella High School and married his high school sweetheart Willie (Billie) Maried Melton. They moved to Garden City, Kansas where Russell landed a job selling cars. The start of WW II put a halt to auto sales, so they moved to southern California where he worked through the remainder of the war in a shipyard producing PT boats for the US Navy. He then resumed his career in auto sales, initially with Studebaker and later with a large Cadillac dealership in Santa Ana, California. He went on to receive numerous honors and awards for his sales prowess.
He and Billie had a son and two daughters. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything else. Around the house, he could fix anything that needed repair. He and Billie were active in the Santa Ana First Methodist Church, where Russell served for many years as an usher for Sunday services. He loved fishing, especially at the Newport pier with his own father, and he shared fun hunting trips with his circle of friends.
In the 1970's they relocated to Yakima, Washington in order to be closer to their children. He worked for a time with the local Cadillac dealership and the GMC/Honda dealership. After his retirement from auto sales he continued to work part-time in property management.
Russell could captivate family, friends and even strangers with his tales about depression-era life in the dust bowl and his subsequent experiences in the 40's, 50's and 60's as California bloomed.
He was known for his ever-present sense of humor, which remained with him until the very end, even in the face of a losing battle with lung cancer.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Billie, by all five brothers, and a sister who died in childhood.
He is survived by a son, Dr. Gayle (Shirley) Brewer, and daughters Beverly (Dick Steinmetz) Hammett and Teresa (David) Sjule, all of Yakima; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Linda Robinson of Yakima, who was like a daughter to him.
The Wellington Leader December 4, 2008
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