Mary Elizabeth Brewer (O’Leary), 86, Omaha, NE. Beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend passed away peacefully at home among her family on July 28, 2016. She was born on Sept. 11, 1929 in Breckenridge, MN to Richard and Cecelia Friederichs O’Leary. Mary moved to Iowa after high school where she met her husband of 55 years, Kenneth J Brewer. Together they lovingly raised seven children, Terry Brewer, St. George Island, FL, Teresa (Glen) Perkins, Bettendorf, IA, David (Ginny) Brewer, Albia, IA, Jim (Madeline) Brewer, Iowa City, IA, Sheila (Kent) Sedore, Ottumwa, IA, Annie Brewer, Omaha, NE, Liz (Rob) Mucciaccio, Omaha, NE. She is preceded in death by her husband Kenneth (2005), sisters Kathleen Feight and Patricia O’Leary and brothers Richard, Fred and Tom O’Leary. She is survived by her children, 19 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, her sister Sharon Bishop, Rogers, AR, her brother John O’Leary, Des Moines, IA, sister-in-law Irene (Doyle) Gripp, Chariton, IA, special friend Paul McDermott and countless other friends and relatives. Mary will always be fondly remembered for her pressed white blouses, her baking and sewing talents as well as her compassion for animals and people less fortunate. After owning and operating an auto parts store in Albia, Iowa for 30+ years, she and Kenny lived in several places including Centerville, IA, Pueblo West, CO, and Van Buren, AR. They also volunteered as missionaries on a Navajo Indian reservation in both Thoreau and San Fidel, NM. Mary resided at Maple Ridge Retirement Community in Omaha for the last 10 years. She was a devout Catholic attending St. Elizabeth Ann and St. Vincent DePaul parishes in Omaha. She was a member of PEO Chapter FK in Omaha. Mary was one-of-a-kind, never to be replaced and always to be missed. Memorial service 3pm Saturday, August 6, Maple Ridge Retirement Community, 3525 N. 167th Circle, Omaha. Memorials to Heart Ministry Center, Omaha.
Those we love remain with us
For love itself lives on,
And cherished memories never fade
Because a loved one’s gone.
Those we love can never be
More than a thought apart,
Far as long as there is memory,
They’ll live on in the heart