Lida Mae Brewer

Lida Mae was born on July 27, 1934, in Auburn, New York, to Francis John and Lida Mae Schwetz. She grew up in New York but moved to California due to her father’s health when she was a teenager by traveling across country in a camper. Lida Mae graduated from Coronado High School in 1952, where she played the trumpet and loved to hang out on the beach near the Hotel Del Coronado. She also took college classes for music at the San Diego State College.

By profession, Lida Mae was not hindered by gender roles of the time. At one point, she was even told by peers to quit so that a man who needed to support his family could have her job. She worked various jobs with the Civil Service for over twenty years, from different clerk positions to ultimately working up to a journeyman aircraft electrician, where she met her second husband, Robert (“Bob”) Brewer, Sr. Lida Mae later worked as a tower prison guard for the State of Missouri, where she let the inmates know that it was her job “to shoot anyone who tried to go over the fence.” Notably, none attempted escape while she was on guard! She ultimately retired from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Always active in church, Lida Mae was ordained by the World Bible Way Fellowship as a Minister of the Gospel as an Evangelist in 1964, by Lighthouse Gospel Center to the work of the Gospel Ministry in 1966, and by Sonship Christian Fellowship as a Deaconess in 2002. Lida Mae was a faithful woman of God who loved the Lord, her family, church, and community.

Some of Lida Mae’s favorite things included spending time with her family, reading, raising and showing boxers (the breed of dog, not the profession!), gardening, whistling, and singing (especially Sandi Patty). She also loved bird watching, colors (always jokingly listing her favorites as “pink, green, and purple”), and clouds in the sky. And, of course, sweets would always brighten her day.

Lida Mae was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; stepson, Robert (“Bobby”) Brewer, Jr.; great-granddaughter, Abigail Clanahan; her parents; and a sister who passed away while a baby.

She is survived by her other sister, Dee Ann Harper; her children, Michael Clanahan and Michelle Brewer; stepchildren, Katherine Partain, Linda Brewer, Barbara Wright, Erma Collins, and David Brewer; grandchildren, Holly Saad, Michael Clanahan II, and Megan Reid; and numerous step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home located at 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312, with interment following the service.

“[B]ut we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” -- 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NASB)