Obituary of Clare Stieg Brewster

Clare Ann Stieg Brewster, age 89, of Arlington Virginia passed away on November 22, 2018 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.  Clare was preceded in death by her parents Clare and Forrest Stieg and her husband Vernon H. Brewster. 

She was blessed by having a large and close family, many in the Washington DC area and she most enjoyed seeing the newest generations of the family.  She is survived by her daughter Lynn Wingard, grandson Christopher Wingard, her brother and sister-in-law Forrest and Kathy Stieg, her nieces and nephews Valerie Devine and her husband Dan, Forrest Stieg and his wife Karen, and Kate Stieg Fereday; her cousins Sandy King and her husband Joe, Pamela Dean, William Treder, and their children and grandchildren; and her great nieces and nephews Madison Devine, Nolan Devine, Forrest Stieg, Alexa Stieg, Drew Stieg, and Griffin Stieg.  She is also survived by her sister-in-law Sheila Brewster, her nieces and nephews George Brewster, his wife Miriam and children Pam, Chip, David and Ashley; Doug Brewster and his wife Joy and children Jenny and Chase; and her niece and god-daughter Sandra Godfrey and her husband Peter and children Kyle, John, and Casey.

Clare was born in Washington DC January 23, 1929 and spent all but two years of her life living in Arlington, Virginia.  From her early teenage years until the last months of her life she attended Community Methodist Church in Arlington and volunteered time helping her church community in any way she could.  She received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University in 1950 and taught Spanish, English and History in Arlington County until her marriage August 27, 1955.  When her daughter left for college she returned to teaching, spending nearly 15 years working with students at the Arlington County Jackson Center for special needs children.  She only left the center in order to care for her aging mother after her father passed away.  Clare also gave back to her community by volunteering for years for Meals on Wheels – continuing this activity until she was 80, often delivering food to people much younger than herself!  She spent her spare time reading histories, biographies and the newspaper, quilting and doing other crafts, and every Christmas the family anxiously awaited her special cookies – Grandma’s Butter Crisps.

Clare always had a smile and an open heart and would get in conversations with total strangers at the grocery store or doctor’s offices.  The word that everyone who has met her shares with the family is how sweet she was.  Even in the last few years of her life when she was in and out of doctor’s offices every week the nurses commented on how she was always sweet and pleasant.  Her last words were thank you to the nurses caring for her. 

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends, but we take comfort in knowing she enjoyed the last few months of her life, taking up her arts and crafts again and enjoying Bingo and concerts at the Jefferson.  We would especially like to thank the caring staff at the Jefferson who made her last days comfortable and happy.  She is at peace now with God and returned to the loving arms of her parents.

A Memorial service is scheduled for 12:00pm on Saturday January 26, 2019 at Community Methodist Church at 1701 N. Bryan Street, Arlington, VA 22201

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions can be made to Community Methodist Church at 1701 N. Bryan Street, Arlington, VA 22201; Meals on Wheels of Arlington at PO Box 40203, Arlington, VA 22204-7203; or the Alzheimer’s Association online.