Carson City woman celebrates 103 years of life

Carson City’s Phyllis Brewer celebrated her 103rd birthday on Oct. 26.

Brewer was born in Los Angeles, on Oct. 26, 1911, the third daughter of Frank and Frieda Bresnan. Due to the fact that her father was an officer of the Navy, her family resided in Coronado, Calif. Los Angeles, New London, Conn., and Washington state.

Upon graduating from Bellingham State Normal School, Brewer began her teaching career in Washington as a grade school teacher and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, and a Master’s in Education from Long Beach State.

Brewer loved to travel and took a month-long trip to China. She taught in Balboa, Panama, for a few years before marrying her first husband, Fred McHenry, at the age of 25. Together they had two sons, Ronald and Terry, from whom they were blessed with five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Phyllis enjoyed teaching and said the most fun she ever had was when she taught at a one-room school in Skamania, Wash., alongside the Columbia River where she was given a teacher’s cottage. She also taught at Lummi Day School, a Native American school, in Bellingham, Wash.

After her first husband passed, Brewer met and married George Brewer with whom she shared a home in Redlands, Calif., and a vacation home on the beach in Mexico where she learned to speak some Spanish.

About four years ago, Brewer moved to Carson Plaza Independent Senior Living Community to be closer to her son, Ronald. She attributes her long life to good health, saying, “If you have good health, then you’re happy, and I’m just happy to be here.”

Brewer says she lives by the motto, “Just go with the flow. Don’t try and buck up against what’s inevitable and make the best of it.”