Jeb E. Brewer (1962-2016)

BREWER

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 3/4/2016 at 15:04:02

Obituary from Overton Funeral Home, Indianola, Iowa.

Jeb E. Brewer, 53 of Des Moines passed away on February 26, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. He liked to say that cancer may win the battle, but it will lose the war. He meant that when he receives his resurrected body in heaven through Jesus Christ’s work on the cross that Christ will have defeated cancer since in heaven there will be no cancer. Jeb was married to Linda (Ducommun) Brewer for 32 years.

Jeb was born on the Fort Sill Army Base, Lawton Oklahoma in 1962 to Ken and Nan Brewer. His dad, Ken, was in the army teaching at the artillery school at the time. The centennial of the Civil War and the Army surroundings led to his parents naming Jeb after the confederate general James Ewell Brown Stuart. Jeb never learned to properly ride a horse or join the army, so he never really followed his name sake. The family later moved to Bryan-College Texas where Jeb and his older brother Mike learned to appreciate Texas A&M football and killing large tarantulas in the front yard. Later they moved to Ames, Iowa in 1969 where Ken would work for Iowa State University and Jeb would gain a sister, Kena Kathleen. He always considered Ames home as this was where he graduated from Ames High School and later, Iowa State University. Jeb met his wife, Linda, at Iowa State, they got married before graduation, and got to live in Pammel Court Student housing. The housing is now torn down, but Jeb and Linda have some very fond memories of these early days. After graduating from Iowa State University majoring in Civil Engineering, he was commissioned in the US Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. His first duty station was Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. There he worked in the 44th Civil Engineering Squadron maintaining various base facilities and assigned to a Prime BEEF team. At Ellsworth Jeb and Linda had their first child, Janelle, who was born on a snowy South Dakota morning. They later moved to Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology where Jeb earned a masters in Astronautic Engineering. The Air Force had intended to have him work on a military space station as part of the global missile defense. The fall of the Berlin Wall changed the Air Force’s priorities; therefore, he never worked on a space station project. However, Jeb and Linda did welcome their second child, Jim, into their family while in Ohio. The Air Force then moved Jeb and his family to Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs to help build the newly formed Air Force Space Command. Jeb was involved in many different activities as the Air Force moved to normalize space operations. While in Colorado they had their third child, Jared. After participating in Desert Storm, Jeb and his family left the Air Force and moved to Galveston, Texas as civilians. Jeb continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves, often taking the family with him to Colorado during training exercises. At Galveston Jeb worked for the Army Corps of Engineers as a Hydraulic Engineer. He enjoyed his time working on Galveston Island, and the family welcomed their fourth child, Jennifer. Soon they moved to Des Moines, Iowa to work for the City Engineering Department. After a few years designing airport projects, Jeb was asked to lead the Engineering Department. As The City Engineer for more than a decade, Jeb enjoyed working at the City and helping it transform into the Des Moines we love today. One of his favorite projects was the connection of Fleur Drive to I-235 and Downtown by constructing the ML King Jr Parkway. Local drivers that remember the old connection from I-235 to the Airport still appreciate this improvement compared to the torturous and confusing route around residential areas, past Tech High, etc. One bridge in this complex project is the George Washington Carver Bridge that includes a very unique tied-arch design. The bridge’s dedication plaque includes a quote of a poem from George Washington Carver that expressed Carver’s hope in a future in heaven with Christ. “When the Lord of the harvest shall call his own, The golden grain from seeds were sown, We’ll take him as talents one by one, And trust he may say to us well done.” (1894). Jeb too expressed his faith in Christ by striving to live the Gospel daily through leading his family, working in his church ministries, and working faithfully in his profession. He is now in God’s presence.

Jeb and Linda first lived in Norwalk, Iowa when they moved back for the City of Des Moines job. At this time, they started attending Martensdale Community Church. They have been blessed that God has allowed them to be part of such a body. They later moved into the Des Moines City limits to comply with the job requirements of a department head. At Martensdale Community Church they have had many wonderful memories. Jeb and Linda taught Sunday School for 19 years, and Jeb was on the Elder Board for over 10 years. Jeb took great comfort knowing that Linda would have such a loving and caring church family after his passing.

Funeral Services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, February 28 at the Martensdale Community Church, Martensdale, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4:30pm prior to services. The graveside service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, February 29 at the Marcus Amherst Cemetery, Marcus, Iowa. Memorials may be given to Hope Ministries.