Retired District Judge Joseph J Brewer, 74, died Mar 14, 2001, at Providence Extended Care Center in Alaska.
Judge Brewer was born Oct 31, 1926, in Fife Lake. He was a 1944 graduate of Kalkaska High School. At that time there was no school bus service to his father's farm in Garfield Township so he roomed in Kalkaska with "Ma" Poucher. He earned a B.A. degree in journalism and an M.A. in Spanish from Michigan State University and a J.D. degree from Washinton College of Law of American University, Washington DC in 1963.
He served in the U.S. Army from Jun 1944 until Nov 1946 and was stationed in the Philippine Islands and Korea. He moved to Alaska in 1955 and worked at the Anchorage Times. He worked in public relations for Federal Electric Corp in Anchorage while it built the White Alice project during the Cold War. He was a staff member for Sen. Ernest Gruening in Washington DC, 1959-1963. He was a staff member for Rep Charlie Bussell in Juneau from 1983 to 1984.
He was a magistrate by appointment on Dec 31, 1965. He was a district judge from Jun 2, 1969 until he retired Dec 31, 1982.
After his retirement from the District Court, he pursued his interest in arts and crafts. Very visually oriented, he was constantly looking for new ideas. From hand painted saw blade clocks to figurines of loons from cottonwood bark, he was constantly working. His joy was increased with five granddaughters, "his family noted.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Alice Ewing Brewer of Anchorage; sons, Dean and Jonathan (Shelley); daughter, Mary (Dan) Riordan; grandchildren, Torrie Brewer, Jessie Brewer, Stephanie Riordan, Lindsay Riordan, and Hailey Riordan, all of Anchorage; and sisters, Alice Clark of South Boardman and Marie Hutchinson of Lake City; brother in law, Derwood Birgy, nephews, Larry, Terry, and Tim Birgy all of Fife Lake; nieces Marilyn Beaver of Fife Lake, Janet Stephens of Kalkaska, Tammy Runkel of Pleasant Lake, Marjorie Brunett of Sparta, Roberta Kleeman of Fife Lake, Becky Cole of Cedar, Evelyn Fernandez of Soria, Spain, Eleanor Murray and Kathy Chrysler both of Lake City; nephews, Harold Birgy of Lake, Chuck Hall of Center Line, John Hall and Wendell Hutchinson of Fremont and Donnie Hutchinson of Lake City.
Funeral services were held at First Congregational Church in Anchorage; Rev. Rick and Mary Koch officiated. Pallbearers were Jonathan Brewer, Dean Brewer, Dan Riordan, and Chris Devlin. Burial will be at Fort Richardson National Cemtery at a later date.
Funeral arrangements were made by Evergreen Memorial Chapel.
