Clifford Cecil Brewer

CLIFFORD CECIL BREWER Funeral services for lifelong area resident Clifford Cecil Brewer will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 19 at the Dove Creek First Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Peel Cemetery. A visitation has been scheduled for Wednesday evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ertel Memorial Chapel. Clifford was born at Egnar, Colo. on April 10, 1921. He passed away on Friday, June 13, at his Dove Creek residence at the age of 87. Clifford was brought into the world by a pioneer midwife, Aunt Cynthia Goforth, in a log cabin on Little Chico. He was the sixth of ten children born to Ernest Elmer and Mary Alti Hatch. In order of birth they were, Maggie, Marvin, Melvin, Sunshine, Ruby, Bennie, Gerald, Stanley and Mildred. Stanley of Cortez survives. Clifford married Vivian Lorene Brackett on September 19, 1940 in Monticello, Utah. They were married for 65 years. The couple had four children, Virginia, Jerry, Frank, and Jack. Work was Clifford's hobby, from the early age of 13 he fended for himself. He worked for ranchers and in the sawmill. Clifford also broke horses for the Army. If we could look out the front door and back 70 years, we could see him ride those horses down this very street to the corner where the Army bought them. When mining came into this county he became one of the first Uranium miners working from the Spudpatch to Slickrock from Delaneys to the Deremo he mined for every major company on the Colorado Plateau. Not happy with just an eight hour day, he filled the evening hours and weekends with raising cows. There were fences to be built and hay to be hauled and night and morning milking. He loved to read Louis L'Amour and Zane Gray. At the age of 15 while working at the sawmill he purchased his first car, a Model A, and from then on a good car or pickup was always a priority. An on going debate between he and his grandsons was whether Ford's or Chevy's were better!! If you drove up in a new car he always wanted to take it for a drive to see if he could spin the wheels. We were afraid to let him try. Clifford enjoyed retirement, never missing a birthday party or Sunday dinner. He and Vivian enjoyed going to the sale barn, visiting old friends, playing cards, and going to Cortez to eat out. He took great pride in their home and yard, always having a place for everything and everything in its place. He taught the boys how to clean yard, "Pick up everything that doesn't grow." The last two years have been difficult for Dad without Mom. He was given excellent care by the nurses from Professional Case Management. He had been waiting for this day. As we were in his shop last week we could see that the day she died his world stopped. The tools were where he left them, idle. The hoe was waiting to be sharpened with the file lying beside it. Those missing and loving Clifford are, Virginia Bucher of Dove Creek, Jerry Brewer and wife Wanda of Grandview, Wash., Frank Brewer and wife, Karen of Kansas City, Missouri, Jack Brewer and wife, Carol of Monticello, Utah; 10 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Vivian Brewer; and eight siblings.