Francis "Tony" Brewster

Francis Anthony (Tony) Brewster.

January 28, 1929 - July 22, 2020.

Francis Anthony (Tony) Brewster died peacefully in Sauk City, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. He was father to seven daughters, grandfather to 15 and a great-grandfather to 13, and is also survived by his wife Susan Dene Brewster.

Born in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, in 1929, Tony spent his childhood in Manhasset, NY.  His father Francis Thoburn Brewster taught high school American History before re-enlisting as a Major in the U.S. Army during World War II, when Tony moved with his mother Eva Melby Brewster and brother William (Bill) to Columbus, Wisconsin, where he was a celebrated athlete and graduated from Columbus High School.

Tony attended the University of Wisconsin on an ROTC scholarship and graduated as president of his class of 1950 and of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 2, 1950, as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in the Korean War before returning to the University of Wisconsin Law School. After graduating in 1955, he worked as counsel in the legal departments at Scott Paper Company in Greater Philadelphia, PA, and Detroit, MI, and at RCA in New Jersey. In 1962, after a visit to Madison, he opted to move his family back to Wisconsin to practice law.

After starting a private practice with Joe Melli, he went on to serve as a named partner at Murphy, Stolper, Brewster and Desmond and Stolper, Koritzinsky, Brewster and Neider until the mid 1990s, when he moved his law practice home before retiring in 2009. He served on the boards of National Guardian Life and Stephan & Brady. During these years, he also was an active member of several community organizations, as providing counsel and support to community was one of his most deeply held values. He was a charter member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and later a member of Christ Presbyterian. He was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Visitors, and a strong and vocal supporter of its men’s and women’s athletic programs. He served as legal counsel and board member for the Madison Symphony Orchestra, as a board member of the American Red Cross Wisconsin Chapter, as counsel to the Madison school board and was a long-time member and officer of Kiwanis. After retiring, he was proud to be a docent at the Wisconsin Veterans’ Museum where he was honored as a “Docent of the Year.” He also will be remembered as a friend and mentor for many young lawyers.

Tony played competitive tennis for many years and, beyond being a die-hard fan of student athletes at the University of Wisconsin, he loved the LA (formerly Brooklyn) Dodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to his wife Susan, he will be missed by his daughters Sara Brewster (John MacAloon), Julia Brewster Schmidt (Dan), Anne Brewster Boyd (Bob), Ellen Brewster Houston, Becky Brewster Smith, Lauren O’Brien Maher (Paul), Melissa Brewster Goodwin (Matt) and his nephew William Francis Nickerson Brewster. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Bill, grandson Logan Denton Smith and former wife Joan Heller Fliegel.

He was loved and respected by many. The family plans to gather in mid-2021 to remember and celebrate his life. In his memory, please consider a contribution to one of the organizations that meant so much to him: Maplewood Sauk Prairie, Sauk City, WI; the Downtown Kiwanis Club, Madison, WI; the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department, Madison, WI; and Lussier Family Center in Madison, WI.