Roll Call Tribute

William L. Brewer
April 26, 1948 - June 29, 2022

William (“Bill”) Louis Brewer, our beloved father, grandfather, cousin and friend passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at the age of 74. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

He was born on April 26, 1948 at the Nix Hospital in San Antonio. Bill was proud to be from San Antonio and was the fifth generation of his family to live there.

Bill was a devoted son and adored his parents. Bill was the son of Raymond Hinton Brewer, who was the Principal of Sidney Lanier High School for thirty-five years. His mother, Marian Mueller Brewer, was a teacher and counselor for over thirty-five years in San Antonio Independent School District.

Bill’s life was heavily influenced by the example set by his parents and by their profession. When he was a boy, some of Bill’s happiest memories were attending Lanier High School basketball and football games with his parents. Early in his life, he quickly fell in love with the pageantry of high school sports and the way school spirit can galvanize a community through common bond. His love for family and sports intersected throughout his life.

Bill was proud of his family that came before him and their accomplishments. He was the great grandson of John Wilkens, Jr. who was County Commissioner for Bexar County. His great-grandfather donated land to the city of San Antonio for street development. Wilkens Avenue, located just south of downtown, was named in honor of his great-grandfather and his family.

After attending Maverick Elementary School and Longfellow Middle School, Bill graduated from Jefferson High School in 1966 where he was active in the school’s student government and social clubs. At Jefferson, he was Co-Editor in Chief of the school’s newspaper, The Declaration, Junior Class Chaplain, a sophomore and junior representative and a member of the band, National Honor Society, Sophomore Scholastic Society, Senate, Each Has Spoken, Quill & Scroll, Bi-Phy-Chem Club, German Club, Philimatics Club and Library Council.

Bill loved Jefferson High School. He enjoyed keeping in contact with his fellow classmates and actively served on the Class of 1966 reunion committee.

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1970 and completed his Master’s Degree in Education at Our Lady of the Lake in 1973. Bill began his doctorate by taking classes at Texas A&M and eventually discontinued his doctoral coursework to raise his son.

Bill spent his entire career in education and enjoyed helping students as a teacher and a counselor. He began his teaching career at Holmes High School. In addition to serving as a teacher at other schools, he served as a counselor at S.J. Davis Middle School and served as the head counselor at John Jay High School. After retiring from San Antonio Independent School District, Bill remained active by spending time with his family, serving his church and substitute teaching in San Antonio and Dallas.

Bill served on the board of San Antonio Teachers Credit Union (“SATCU”) for many years until SATCU became Firstmark Credit Union. Bill was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity and was a past-member of the Bachelor’s Club of San Antonio, the Downtown San Antonio Rotary Club and the San Antonio Quarterback Club.

Bill was a fifth-generation member of St. John's Lutheran Church where his great-great-grandfather, John Wilkens, Sr. was a charter member in 1857. Bill served on the church council and as chairman of the Member Support Committee. He helped create a fundraising event for the church called Fiesta Nueva. He led and served on the Fiesta Nueva Committee for several years and served as Fiesta Nueva’s first King Gallo.

Bill was happiest when he was with his family. He was a devoted father to his son, Will, and a wonderful grandfather to his grandson, Tripp. He took great pride in them and frequently drove his car from San Antonio to Dallas to watch Tripp’s soccer and basketball games. Bill loved spending time with family and friends on the beach at South Padre Island and at the family lake house at Medina Lake.

Bill was a passionate sports fan and loved high school and college athletics. In addition to following Lanier and Jefferson, he quickly adopted his son’s high school and college alma maters. He became an ardent fan of Clark High School and Southern Methodist University (“SMU”) and frequently drove to Dallas to attend SMU football games with his son and grandson.

Bill is preceded in death by his father, Raymond H. Brewer, his mother, Marian M. Brewer, and his daughter-in-law, Lindsay D. Brewer. Bill is survived by his son, William (“Will”) L. Brewer II, and his grandson, William (“Tripp”) L. Brewer III.

The family would like to thank Dr. Mitchell Finnie, Dr. Larry Hoberman, Dr. Alan Baum, Dr. Carlos Roman and Dr. John Case as well as, longtime caregivers Blanca Alvarez and Aileen Contreras.

The funeral service will take place at St. John’s Lutheran Church on July 18, 2022 and will begin at 11:00 a.m. The family is looking forward to greeting all friends at a reception in the St. John's Memorial Hall immediately following the funeral service. Interment will follow in San Jose Burial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church, 502 E. Nueva Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205.