Thomas McMurtry Brewer ’57

Thomas McMurtry Brewer ’57, of Purcellville, Va., died of kidney cancer Sept. 20. He was a U.S. Navy Air veteran. He was the son of the late Elizabeth Bottom Brewer and John Bowman Brewer of Lebanon, Ky. A retired pilot with American Airlines, he and his family moved to Loudoun County in the mid-1960s. After retirement, he owned and operated Happy Times Farm, a cattle farm in Clarke County. Upon diagnosis, he sold the farm, bought a place out on the northern neck of Virginia, and set up shop there, meeting new people, fishing, planting trees, and having a “big time” on the water. He is survived by his wife, Lillian C. Brewer, 17691 Silcott Springs Rd., Purcellville, VA 20132; daughters, Kate Brewer Fisher ’86 and Nancy Brewer Trollinger; son, Thomas McMurtry Brewer, Jr.; grandchildren, Connor, Campbell, and T. Brewer, Emma, Grace, and Bowman Garrett Trollinger, and Mckillop and Sam Hopper Fisher; brothers, Robert Burton Brewer and Dr. McHenry Shreve Brewer ’44; and sister, Cecil Brewer Fish. He was preceded in death by a brother, Sam Bottom Brewer ’50. On Sept. 28, a boat parade was held in his honor, and he had his ashes spread on the creek in order to “improve the environment.”