Dr. Gayle Franklin Brewer

Dr. Gayle Franklin Brewer, age 86, passed away peacefully at home in Yakima, WA on July 6, 2024. Born on June 1, 1938 in Wellington, TX to Joe Russell and Willie Marie Brewer, Gayle's family relocated to Orange County, Southern California during his early childhood to join other family members who had migrated there from Texas. He attended school in Huntington Beach and Santa Ana, graduating from Santa Ana High School in 1956.

Gayle went on to graduate magna cum laude from Chapman College in Orange, CA in 1960 with a BA in philosophy. At Chapman he distinguished himself as class president and participated in junior varsity basketball, varsity track and tennis. He set a school record in the triple jump—a record that still stands—and achieved fourth place at the NAIA Nationals during his senior year. Upon graduation Gayle was honored with the Cheverton Award granted by a vote of the full Chapman faculty. In 2000, Gayle was inducted into the Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame.

During his senior year at Chapman he decided to pursue a career in medicine, which led him to complete two additional years of pre-med science classes at UC Riverside by 1962. Gayle subsequently enrolled in the UCLA School of Medicine where he served as class president during his junior year, and participated in the honor council for two years. He successfully completed his medical degree in 1966.

A notable highlight during his medical education was a summer spent in American Samoa conducting research in tropical medicine. He relocated to Seattle for his postgraduate medical training, beginning with an internship associated with the US Public Health Service Hospital and the University of Washington teaching hospital group. He completed his residency in internal medicine at USPHS and UW, during which time he advocated for and established a pioneering coronary care unit—a novel concept at the time. This initiative included the recruitment and training of CCU nurses, as well as the implementation of EKG classes and resuscitation skills.

Following his residency, Gayle pursued a two-year fellowship in nuclear medicine at USPHS and UW under the mentorship of Dr. Wil Nelp and Dr. Robert Griep who became an admired lifelong friend. He achieved Board Certification by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine.

He married Penny Moolenijzer in 1962 and together they had a son, David, in 1967, and a daughter, Leslie, in 1969 who died in infancy. In 1970 they adopted Amy Marie.

He moved to Yakima, WA in 1971 to begin private practice in internal medicine and nuclear medicine in partnership with Dr. James Dodge. This partnership, known as Internal Medicine Associates, eventually grew to include up to a dozen internists. He served one year as medical staff president (1983) at St. Elizabeth Hospital, one year as Program Chair of the Yakima County Medical Society, and two years as president of the NW Society of Nuclear Medicine. Besides directing the Nuclear Medicine Department at St. Elizabeth Hospital, he conducted a clinical practice as a thyroid disease consultant. His expertise led him to serve as a consultant and physician examiner for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center during the federally mandated Hanford Thyroid Disease Study in the 1990s.

Soon after moving to Yakima, Gayle began playing for the YMCA Men’s Volleyball Team and volunteering as an assistant coach for the girls’ volleyball team at Eisenhower High School. This in turn led him to form an off-season girls Junior Olympic volleyball team known as Team Yakima, welcoming girls grades 6-12 from the greater Yakima area. This eventually became a full-fledged developmental volleyball program still in existence today. He served as the head coach of Team Yakima for many years, guiding the program to numerous regional championships and strong performances at national competitions. In 2023, Gayle was honored with the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce Ted Robertson Community Service Award.

Gayle and Shirley married in 1991 and resided in Yakima until he retired from medical practice in 2006. They then moved to Longbranch, WA where they built a new home and met many wonderful and close friends. They became active in the Longbranch Improvement Club founded in 1921 with Gayle serving as President from 2012-15.

Gayle always had many active hobbies including fly fishing, fly tying, building and flying radio controlled model aircraft, golf, boating and carpentry. He fished for trout all over the Northwest and made an annual trip to Yellowstone with a dear friend for 40+ years. He particularly enjoyed the challenge of fishing for bonefish, tarpon and permit in several tropical destinations including Christmas Island, Belize, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and Hawaii.

With Shirley they developed a lovely collection of American and European art pottery, and he had an extensive collection of vintage fountain pens. Always an avid reader, he had a library filled with volumes on history, philosophy, sports, and World War II aviation history. He solved the NY Times crossword puzzle daily and never met a puzzle he didn’t like. Gayle and Shirley enjoyed many trips throughout the US and Europe as well as cruises to the Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Alaska.

Gayle felt honored to serve his patients for 35 years and cherished being part of Yakima's medical community. When Gayle’s health began to fail in 2018, they moved back to Yakima where he took great pleasure in reconnecting with fellow retired physicians in a weekly coffee group.

Gayle possessed an impeccable memory, encyclopedic knowledge about a broad range of subjects, and a quick wit. Most notably, he embraced life with passion, navigated life’s challenges with grace, and was driven, above all, to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.

A heartfelt thanks to Dr. Bill Von Stubbe and Dr. Steve Shaul, Gayle’s dear friends and colleagues who visited him weekly during his extended home hospice stay. Gratitude also goes to Memorial Hospice & Home Health Care for their enduring support.

Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Shirley Brewer, sisters Beverly (Dick) Steinmetz, and Teresa (David) Sjule, son David (Tina) Brewer, daughter Amy Brewer, stepchildren Erik Haws and Angela (Brian) Oakley, nephews Paul Engel and Danny Sjule, niece Sarah Laidler, five beloved grandchildren and numerous cousins.

A memorial service will be held at Keith & Keith Funeral Home on July 29th at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Memorial Foundation Hospice Care Program or the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy.