David Stanley Brewer III was a great person with an even greater heart that finally stopped on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. He was born in Littleton, Colorado, on May 13, 1929, and left this world streets away from the place of his birth.
Dave had lost his father as a child and was raised with his brothers and sisters by a caring mother who devoted herself to her children. It was his athletic prowess that enabled him to overcome humble beginnings and experience a college education, graduating from the University of Denver. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army in Germany and upon his discharge from the service returned to the University of Denver to earn his master’s degree.
Shortly after graduation, he met and married the love of his life and partner for 56 years, Hazel, and he went into business for himself as an accountant. It was during this time he joined with Henry and Richard Bloch as they started H&R Block, and he became the single largest franchisee owning the H&R Block rights in 12 states In the late 1960s he traded his operation for ownership in the company and continued with H&R Block until, when faced with the offer to assume the presidency of the company, he instead chose to spend the time with his family.
His retirement only lasted a few weeks as Dave loved to stay busy. He his family moved to Santa Barbara, California, where he left retirement to become more involved in civic and educational pursuits while enjoying the time to become fully involved in the lives of his children. He taught accounting and bookkeeping at UCSB and UCLA, SBCC and Bishop Diego High School. He coached Youth Football League teams, was active in the Scouts and founded and funded a wrestling program at Bishop Diego High, as well as one in the Santa Barbara area that had more than 400 participants.
He returned full time to business after the death of his beloved son, Jay, but remained active in civic endeavors. Youth programs were always of keen interest to him and he continued to engage himself in those. He served a few terms as president of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce in addition to involvement with Rotary and Optimists. An easy way to sum up Dave’s view on life was his office wall; it didn’t contain his awards or diplomas but rather photos of his children and grandchildren that he could talk about for hours.
In his final years, he returned to Colorado and continued to stay active with his accounting firm and teaching the outdoors, and the lives of his beloved grandsons. He also had the opportunity to be closely involved with his great grandchildren, Rylee and Kazlen, and spent treasured time with Gavin, another great grandson.
Dave was preceded in death by his siblings, Pete, Mary and Carrie, and his children David Jr. “Jay”, Rhonda, Kent, Michael and Geraldine. He was a man who loved a challenge and woke up each day with a enthusiasm and optimism that propelled him through each day. He loved his life and his family and will be sorely missed by his wife, Hazel, his surviving children, Michel Brewer and Colleen Brewer, grandsons Jason and Jeffery Holland, and his great grandchildren whose lives were enriched and forever inspired for having known him.
Dave was an incredibly generous person who believed in helping others along his journey through life. Here at the end, his life can be measured not by the successes he earned, but by the many he helped others achieve.
Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at St. Mary’s Church in Littleton, Colorado, with internment at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The family asks in lieu of flowers that contributions be made to the Salvation Army.