Harry Lee Brewer, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend passed away on Monday, May 9, 2011, his 88th birthday. Funeral services were held May 14 at the Lakeside Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lakeside. Graveside service and burial were at the Brewer family plot at Post Office Canyon.
He was born on May 9, 1923, in Pinedale, the third son of Lawrence H. Brewer and Isabel Webb Brewer. He graduated from grade school at Pinedale and attended high school in Snowflake.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1941, where he saw combat during World War II in the Pacific while serving his country for four years. He received the Purple Heart, as well as various other honor medals. He was honorably discharged in 1945.
Harry met M. Delta Amos at a dance in Pinetop and they married in Holbrook after five dates. They enjoyed 64 wonderful and loving years together.
After marriage, they moved to San Diego, Calif., where he held several jobs. They returned to Whiteriver in 1956. Harry was employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as the fire management officer for the Fort Apache Agency in Whiteriver from 1956 to 1980. He was responsible for the redevelopment of the BIA fire control program from a horse and pack mule fire suppression crew to a modern fire management program. The animal teams were replaced by helitack crews and quality trained fire crews. Harry developed and supervised the construction of a runway and airport in Whiteriver that could accommodate large slurry aircraft, as well as emergency MedEvac aircraft. He developed the BIA fire management base, a slurry plant and distribution center, a fire training classroom, and organized and developed the first female fire suppression crew, Apache 8. He organized the first BIA helitack crew and established the Fort Apache Hot Shots.
After he retired from the BIA he worked as a fire management consultant in Arizona, Oregon and Nevada, developing fire management programs for Western and Eastern Nevada agencies.
In 1993 he became the public works director for the White Mountain Apache Tribe where he managed seven tribal departments. He retired for the third time in 1999.
Harry was well known for his compassion, kindness, generosity and sense of humor. He loved a good joke, and everyone who knew him would agree that “Brew,” or Uncle Harry, was quite a character.
His legacy will live on forever in the hearts of those who knew him.
Survivors include his wife, Delta; his daughter Coleen Lee (Brian) Veach; his son-in-law, Richard J. Palmer Sr.; three grandchildren, Caryn Lee (Tyler) Wagenfehr, Melinda Danielle (Mark) Gardner and Richard J. (Ildiko) Palmer Jr.; four great-grandchildren, Julia Lee Wagenfehr, Alana Danielle Gardner, Melanie Noelle Gardner and Anthony Chad Gardner; his brother, Don (Lena) Brewer; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Chadeen Lee Palmer; and his brothers, Chad and Harvey Brewer.
Owens Livingston Mortuary of Show Low was in charge of the arrangements.
