VERNON LeROY BREWER passed away Nov. 4, 2009, at the age of 82 after a valiant 18-month battle with cancer.

He was born in Silverton, Ore. in 1927, to George and Josie Brewer. He graduated from Silverton High School in 1946. He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Genee Van Sant and Vemita Cantlin.

He married Betty Libner on May 21, 1949, in Silverton and they celebrated 60 happy years together this year.

Vern’s career path led him to an interest in power generation. He and Betty moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1954, where he worked in the power plant at a large new pulp mill. In 1959, they moved to Sitka, Alaska, to start up another new pulp mill, Alaska Pulp Corp., where he worked for 23 years in various capacities as shift engineer and assistant power plant superintendent until his retirement in 1983.

He completed a Power Plant Engineering course and then became interested in electronics and completed another course in Radio and TV, eventually starting a part time TV repair and sales business in his home. Vern was a lifelong student who used his spare hours in educating himself in many fields.

After 31 years in Alaska, in 1985 Vern and Betty moved to Port Townsend, Wash. and built a home at Kala Point. His main hobby there was turning a wooded lot into a beautiful garden full of rhododendrons, azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods and rock lined paths. He was a life member of the Elks Club.

The Brewers were winter visitors in Green Valley starting in 2000 and in 2005 decided to make Arizona their permanent home. In May 2009, they moved to La Posada.

Vern was a kind, generous and gentle man with a love for family, animals and the outdoors. He was a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and made beautiful split bamboo fishing rods for his own use and gifts to friends. He loved pheasant hunting, trap shooting, making his own gun stocks. He was an avid cribbage player. Vern was a much loved neighbor who helped all friends, especially widows and single women, with their home maintenance or electronic problems.

He is survived by his wife Betty; sister-in-law Mary Fenner of Silverton, Ore.; brother-in-law Dean (Fran) Libner of Green Valley; nieces Lori Pallister of Salem, Ore., Barbara Zucker, Seattle, Wash., Zona Wahrenbrock, San Diego, Calif., Karen Van Sant, Glendale, Calif., Cappy McMurtray, Burke, Va.; and nephews Bill Fenner, Seattle, Ron Libner and Randy Libner, Coos Bay, Ore. and Rick Cantlin, West Chester, Pa.

A memorial service will be held at Desert Hills Lutheran Church on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, at 11 a.m. with a reception luncheon following.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Desert Hills Lutheran Church, Green Valley, Ariz.