| Biography/History: |
Josephine (“Jo”) was born in Spokane while her family was living at 1323 W 3rd Avenue. She attended Brunot Hall in nearby Browne’s Addition neighborhood, then, at age 19, Miss Capen’s School in Northampton, MA (Oct 1910-Apr 1911). She married Oscar Z. Brewer on 16 Jan 1915; he had grown up in NY City and attended Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ before coming to Spokane. He first worked at Washington Water Power and Charles Oudin’s American Fire Brick Company; by 1920 he had started Brewer Pine Box Manufacture Co. which, until World War II relied on small family sawmills in the Colville Valley. The couple first lived at 2210 W Pacific in Browne’s Addition; their first child, Oscar Z. Jr., was a “blue baby” and died in 1918 at age 2. After son John (“Jack”) Wilmot was born on 15 Oct 1919, they moved nearby to 2430 W Pacific. Daughters Constance and Barbara were born in 1927 and 1931; by 1930 the family had made another short move to 214 S Coeur d’Alene Street. The children attended the neighborhood Washington School and enjoyed banana splits at the Elk soda fountain. Josephine, Oscar and their children were close friends of Helen Campbell Powell, William “Bill” W. Powell and their three sons, William W Jr. (“B”), Allan Campbell (“Cam”) and John Powell; until 1924, the Powells lived or frequently visited Helen’s mother at the Campbell’s house, 2316 W First Avenue. Jack remembered that the Powell boys had white rats for pets, and their family had dogs of unique breeds. The families also shared visits at each other’s Lake Coeur d’Alene cabins, and sent their sons Jack (age 14), B, and Cam east to Middlesex School in 1934. Later, Jack and Cam attended Princeton University and Jack graduated in June 1942 with a degree in architecture. After the war, Jack joined his father in the lumber business, and they formed Brewer Lumber Mills, Inc., making fruit crates. Jo and Oscar Brewer’s granddaughter Anne remembers that her grandparents traveled often before Oscar Z. Brewer Sr. (b. 14 Oct 1889) died at age 70 in Spokane on 25 Aug 1959. Josephine lived to the age of 93, and died in Spokane on 30 Mar 1985. Son Jack died in 2019. |