Jeanie was born on July 17, 1937, in Miami County, Kansas, to Charles Joseph Hartman and Mary Ethel Carter. She grew up alongside her siblings, JE Hartman, Jane Ellen Lane, Mary Jo Poindexter, and Anna Marie Fink, in a household that shaped her generous spirit and grounded her in the values she would carry throughout her entire life. Jeanie was the kind of person who made you feel like you mattered, and that gift started early.
She married Earl James Brewster in 1952, and together they built a life centered on family, hard work, and love. Theirs was a partnership that weathered every season, including many years spent dairy farming, ranching, and crop farming, and Earl remained her steadfast companion through all seventy-three years of their marriage! Together they raised a large and lively family, welcoming nine children into the world: Mike Brewster, Jim Brewster (Katie), Debbie Arnold (John), Mary Kendrick (Monty), Diane Ferguson (Jim), Becky Martens (Carl), Tom Brewster (Terri), Sara Vick (Jeff), and Sam Brewster (Candi). Being a mother was not just something Jeanie did; it was who she was. She poured herself into her children with a devotion that never wavered, and as the years passed, that same love extended to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each one a treasure to her.
If you were looking for Jeanie on any given day, chances are you would find her surrounded by family, whether gathered around a table, celebrating a milestone, or simply enjoying the comfort of being together. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren more than anything else in the world. She loved each one, so much that every grandchild is sure they are grandma's favorite. She was also an avid reader, someone who found joy and peace in the pages of a good book. But it was her kindness, her loving heart, and her remarkable strength of character that people will remember most. Jeanie had a way of holding things together with grace, of showing up when it counted, and of loving without condition.
Her Christian faith was the bedrock of her life. Jeanie was saved by Jesus on February 24th, 1973, and she was a devout believer whose relationship with God guided her steps, comforted her in difficult times, and gave her a peace that she shared freely with those around her. She lived her faith not with loud words but through quiet, steady example.
Some of her favorite Bible verses are "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides still waters." Psalms 23:1-2 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
Chances are if you are reading this, you or someone in your life has a baby blanket that was lovingly made by Jeanie. She made hundreds of flannel receiving blankets for anyone she knew that was expecting and even sent them to the NICU where her granddaughter worked. Babies were her joy. To her, a baby was never a bad idea.
Jeanie is survived by her beloved husband, Earl James Brewster; her children, twenty-seven grandchildren, fifty-one great-grandchildren and counting (three on the way), and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings, her son, Mike Brewster and her child, Baby Brewster, her great grandchildren: Judah Arnold and Spencer Ferguson
The family welcomes all who knew and loved Jeanie to join them in celebrating her beautiful life. Rest now, Jeanie. You are home.
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