Catherine Mangum Brewer

Helen Catherine (Mangum) Brewer, of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, went to be with her Lord and Savior on September 13, 2026. Born in Lancaster, South Carolina, on December 14, 1945, to Tom and Louise (Clyburn) Mangum, she was the third of four girls.

She graduated from Winthrop College in 1967 with a BA degree in Elementary Education. She continued her studies and earned a Masters in Elementary Education and a BS in Library Science from the University of South Carolina in 1969. Catherine began her teaching career in Charles County, Maryland, teaching second graders. After several years there, she taught students in Richmond, Virginia. In 1983 she returned to South Carolina where she taught second grade at Myrtle Beach Elementary School. Later she served as the school librarian for Loris Middle School until her retirement.

Catherine was a faithful member of First Baptist Church North Myrtle Beach. She was a dedicated intercessor and active in her church’s prayer ministry. Friends from her Sunday School class, Kindred Spirits, displayed their steadfast love by taking her to church when she could no longer drive. Aunt “Cat” dearly loved her nieces and nephew. One way she demonstrated this was with the weekly handwritten letters she sent each of them for the entirety of their college careers. She was also the keeper of family birthdays; until her memory faded, she never forgot to send a card, always signed with her trademark sketch of a cat face. Like a true public school teacher, she understood the worth of paper, teaching colleagues to use both sides and all scraps. She championed recycling paper products and encouraged others to do so too, even when she moved to her retirement home.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Brewer, her parents, and her eldest sister and brother-in-law, Sara and Richard Hagins. She is survived by her two sisters, Lou C. Thomas (Lee) and Mary Lide (Lanneau), eight nieces and a nephew, and many grand nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will take place at First Baptist Church in North Myrtle Beach on Saturday, September 26 at 2:00 pm. Family will receive visitors during the hour prior to the service.

Memorial donations in Catherine’s name may be made to First Baptist Church North Myrtle Beach’s building fund, 200 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, or to the Still Hopes Retirement Community Employee Assistance Fund, https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E342012&id=2 .