Elizabeth “Betty” Rose (McClelland) Brewster was born Nov. 28, 1928, on the family farm near Studley.
She passed away on Feb. 22, 2024, at the age of 95 while as a resident of the Sheridan County LTCU in Hoxie. Betty was the third youngest child of seven children of Thomas Earl and Martha Marie (Feiler) McClelland. Her siblings were Arthur, Thomas, Clarence, Dora, Ada, Homer (Mac), and infant sister Olivia who died at birth.
Betty started school at Holly Creek Country School, which was around a 3-mile walk one way. They had many frosted fingers and toes walking to school. When the new school was built at Tasco, she finished grade school there. After four years of attending high school in Hoxie, she went to Denver for a year at Central Business College. After completing her courses, she worked at the Singer Sewing Company in Denver but didn’t like the big city life and returned to Hoxie to work as a secretary for the high school.
Growing up, their mother taught the three girls to sew their own dresses and blouses and grow vegetables in a large garden. The family had an old pump organ that she learned to play at a very young age. Their faith in God was a very important foundation of their upbringing as they attended the Presbyterian Church in Tasco. Come rain or shine, their family hardly ever missed church services. Her family loved to sing hymns together, especially on Saturday nights.
Betty's youngest brother, Mac, was a very close friend to her and accompanied her to a friend's wedding dance where she met the love of her life, Gerald Brewster. He had just returned home from being in the WW2 conflict in Germany. On June 6, 1948, they were married. They attended the Lucerne Church of Christ where they were both baptized by immersion together in a stock tank at the country church. To this union, three children were born: Ellen, Teresa and Robert “Bob." Before the kids could hardly talk, they learned to sing as Betty played the piano. They always did their best to get the family to church because they wanted them to have a personal relationship with their Lord and Savior.
After almost 50 years on the farm, Gerald and Betty moved to Hoxie. They celebrated 64 years of marriage before Gerald's passing.
Betty was always active in church functions; Bible School, Sunday School teacher, cooking meals, singing in quartets, and playing the piano or organ for church services and the LTCU services on Wednesday night.
Betty is survived by her children and their spouses; Ellen (Jim) Howard, Teresa (Eric) Follis, and Bob (Jana) Brewster; grandchildren; Lance Shipley, Angela (Shipley) Wolgram, Karen (Follis) Lyles, Jon Follis, Victor Follis, Travis Brewster, Amanda (Brewster) Richards, Loren Howard, Chara (Howard) Heese, and Julie (Howard) Taylor, 24 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband, parents, brothers and sisters and their spouses, and granddaughter, Robin (Shipley) Pyles.
The family is grateful for the loving care given to their mother by the staff at the Sheridan County LTCU in Hoxie.
A celebration of life service is planned for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, south of Studley. She will be laid to rest beside her devoted husband, Gerald in the Lucerne Cemetery, Sheridan County.
There will be a visitation from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 1 at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 5 to 6 p.m.
Memorials are suggested to Operation Christmas Child at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church or the Sheridan County Benefit Walk. Memorials may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, PO Box 987, Hoxie, KS 67740. Words of caring may be left at www.mickeyleopoldfuneral.com.