Wayne M. Brewster, 97, of Rapid City, formerly of Woonsocket, died Sunday, Oct. 2, in Hospice of the Hills at Rapid City.
Visitation was from 1:30-2:30 p.m., followed by the funeral Mass at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6, at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket, with Father Jim Friedrich officiating. Burial with military rites by Woonsocket American Legion Post 29 was in Eventide Cemetery in Woonsocket.
Wayne Maurice Brewster was born Dec. 3, 1919, in Woonsocket to Delmar Howe and Vesta Lavon (Cameron) Brewster. He grew up in Woonsocket and received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering followed by graduate studies in civil engineering at South Dakota State University. He was a veteran of WWII, taking part in the H-Hour D-Day landing on June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy on Omaha Beach.
On Jan. 2, 1953, he married Helen Reider Moberg and adopted her six children, Margy, Joan, Bonnie, Kenny, Kay and Michael, followed later by the births of Steven and Vickie. He will be remembered for his love of family and willingness to open his house at any time to whoever needed it.
His interests included genealogy, family history, paleontology and cooking, which led him to write a book on the Brewster family with extensive family trees going back to the Mayflower, and to compile his own personal cookbook. After he retired, he volunteered at the School of Mines paleontology department, helping to catalogue hundreds of specimens in their collections.
Wayne was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, the Mason’s, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and the Society of Mayflower Descendants.
He is survived by his sister, Helen Brewster; daughters, Margy Chohrach, Bonnie Roberts, Kay (Doug) Moe and Vickie Brewster; sons, Michael and Steven; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-granchildren.
Wayne was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; brothers, Robert and Randall; daughter, Joan Jenssen; son, Kenny; and sons-in-law, Jim Chohrach, Jim Jenssen and Art Roberts.
Arrangements were with Basham Funeral Home in Woonsocket.