Obituary: Walter “Wickes” Brewster, Jr.

August 3, 1954 – July 14, 2024

Mr. Brewster was born on August 3, 1954, in Baltimore, Maryland, and was raised on “Millstone Farm” in Glyndon, Maryland, where he enjoyed his stewardship of nature.
Mr. Brewster attended Gilman School in Baltimore before graduating from Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1972. He then attended Franklin College in Lake Lugano, Switzerland, before graduating from the University of Virginia in 1977, where he was a member of the St. Anthony’s Fraternity.
Committed to the welfare of Baltimore, Mr. Brewster worked at the First National Bank of Maryland prior to working as a fundraiser for Mercy Hospital.
Coming from a prominent political family dating back to Revolutionary War Hero Lambert Wickes, a Captain in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War, Brewster was also the sixth great-grandson of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin and the nephew of U.S. Senator Daniel B. Brewster. Mr. Brewster worked on several Maryland political campaigns, joining the staff of the successful Harry Hughes for Governor Campaign.
Mr. Brewster had a lifelong struggle with alcoholism and was assisted in that struggle by both Father Martin’s Ashley and Hidden Brook in Harford County, Maryland. After further treatment at the Hazelden Betty Ford Clinic in Minneapolis, Mr. Brewster moved to Carbondale, Colorado, and participated in the Jaywalker Lodge recovery program. There, Mr. Brewster enjoyed and helped others with fly fishing and downhill skiing, both of which were avocations from his youth.
Mr. Brewster also had a passion for world history and culture and was known as a voracious reader with a wealth of knowledge that extended from the opera to national politics.
Mr. Brewster was active throughout his life in helping others. His contagious sense of humor, kind and caring demeanor, and genuine interest in the lives of others made him a much beloved friend, counselor, and engaged community member who always put others before himself.
Mr. Brewster is survived by his sister, Marnie Brewster Phillips, of Weston, Massachusetts, his brother David Brewster, of Halifax, Vermont, and his niece and nephew. He was predeceased by his parents, Walter Wickes Brewster and Margaret Perkins Brewster, of Glyndon, Maryland.
The Carbondale community have planned a gathering on Sunday, July 28th from 4pm to 6pm at The Gathering Place at Orchard Church, 110 Snowmass Drive, Carbondale, CO to celebrate Wickes life.