Vernon Castle Brewer Jr. died comfortably in his home Feb. 14, 2019 after a long struggle with COPD. He was surrounded by his immediate family during his final moments.

He was born April 3, 1947 to Vernon Castle Brewer Sr. and Doris Marion Higgins in their family home in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. He grew up in a fishing community where he learned his love for the ocean. At 12 years of age, Vernon started working on small fishing vessels; this is the time when his love for the ocean also turned into a way of life.

At 18 years of age Vern met the love of his life, Esther Louise Creamer, and as most love stories go, they were married shortly thereafter. Vernon and Esther decided to continue life and build a family in Wiscasset, Maine where Esther later gave birth to two sons, Vernon and Eric.

Vernon continued providing for his family by fishing, clamming, and diving for urchins. Outside of being a husband and father, Vernon had a passion for the horse track in his spare time and shopping at yard sales for everything from jewelry to baseball cards. As time passed, his two sons started families of their own, which then gave Vernon a new passion not only for being a dad and husband but being a grandfather. Anyone who knew Vernon knew that the most important thing to him was not money or materialistic items, it was family. Vernon's entire world revolved around the love for his family and what it meant to be family.

Vernon is survived by his wife, Esther Louise Brewer; sons, Vernon Castle Brewer III and his wife Bridgett Elaine Brewer, and Eric Todd Brewer and his wife Heather Lee Brewer; grandchildren, Joshua and wife Amanda, Kevin and wife Kasie, Chelsea, Hannah, Hunter and Nicholas; and great-grandchildren, Madison, Elaina and Kelsea. Vernon is also survived by his sister Sonja Graffam and brother Richard Brewer.

He was predeceased by his brother Archie Brewer.