Wanda Eastwood Brewer

Wanda was born in 1926 in the town of Trinidad, CO, a stop on the former Santa Fe Trail.  Her parents, William Hugh Eastwood, and Beatrice Hays Eastwood, lived in Trinidad for several years before moving their young family of Wanda and her sister, LaVerne, to Bernalillo, NM.  Although raised in the Methodist church, Wanda attended a convent girls' school run by the Sisters of Loretto in Bernalillo; Beatrice was intent on seeing her girls receive an excellent education.  

 

At the end of WWII, William and Beatrice moved their family to Glenwood Springs, CO, a small mountain town on the Colorado river.  Wanda chose to attend the University of Denver, majoring in fine arts, and pledged Delta Gamma sorority.  At a Greek event, Wanda met G.W. (Mike) Brewer, Jr. who had transferred to DU from the University of CO, Boulder.  From what they both said, it was love almost immediately.  After a year of being "pinned" with Mike's Beta pin, Wanda and Mike graduated and then married in Glenwood Springs in 1950. 

 

After several years in Estes Park, CO,  Wanda and Mike then moved to Greeley, where Mike joined his father in a steel business and in cattle ranching.  They built their home on 19th Avenue with house plans drawn by Wanda. Two daughters, Shelly, and Lind were born, and Wanda stayed at home with them until they were in school. Wanda then returned to college for a master's degree in English.  She taught English at Greeley Central High School for several years before deciding to study for her doctorate's degree at UNC.  While studying she also taught classes at UNC, a demanding load, along with being an active mother.  Even while writing her dissertation, Wanda found time to sew special dresses for her daughters' dances.  With Wanda's love of literature, many hours were spent reading with Shelly and Lind, introducing them to classic novels and world lit.  They loved Jane Austen and learned about the ancient Greeks and the antics on Mount Olympus.

 

Wanda became a full professor and influenced the lives of many of her students.  She also taught Renaissance Literature at a UNC extension near Florence, Italy, taking her daughters along for a semester's study in art history.  She was a brave explorer in Italy, land of very unpredictable drivers.  In a miniscule, old, white Fiat 500, dubbed the "tub," Wanda drove the girls on field trips to wonderful historic cities and sites.  

 

After retiring from UNC, Wanda became a docent at the Denver Art Museum.  Keenly interested in Asian art and literature, she gave tours of the Asian galleries, also researching and writing papers on specific topics for the museum.  Her home was filled with books on world literature and beautiful books on art history.  In retirement, Wanda and Mike were able to travel to Asia, Europe, and South America, often with Mike's friends from his Rotary Club.

 

Late in life, Wanda and Mike decided to move full-time to Denver.  Mike enjoyed the Cherry Creek bike trails and Wanda was close to The Tattered Cover Bookstore and great shopping a short walk away.  After Mike's death in 2011, Wanda moved to Houston, TX, in 2015 to be closer to family.  She enjoyed seeing more of her grandsons, Michael and Will, and Michael's family of Kimberly, his wife, and two great-grandchildren, Caroline, and Jackson.  

 

The internment of Wanda and Mike's ashes is planned in Glenwood Springs, CO, when family can gather.  An Episcopal rite of burial will be conducted for the family.