Nancy Helen Hughes Brewer

Nancy Helen Hughes Brewer, widow of Harlan Benton Brewer and daughter of Clarence and Edith Sanders Hughes was born in Owsley County, Kentucky on May 1, 1935 and departed this life in Campton, Kentucky on February 6, 2025 at the age of 89 years, 9 months, and 5 days. Her father, Clarence Hughes was a barber in town while her mother, Edith was a homemaker. The family moved to Beattyville in 1942 and eventually opened two restaurants in town. For a while, the family lived above the town’s cinema. Nancy’s first job was popping popcorn, where she made enough money to buy her first bicycle. Nancy always loved school and enjoyed the challenge of learning new information and skills. She graduated from Lee County High School in 1954 as Salutatorian. During her high school years, she was on the speech and debate team, played clarinet in the band, and a member of the National Honor Society and National Forensics League. She was awarded a 3-year nursing scholarship to the Middletown, Ohio Hospital’s School of Nursing. While in nursing school, she and her high school sweetheart, “Junior” decided to get married and begin their family, so she left school and returned to Beattyville. While raising four children, Nancy resumed the goal of her pursuit in obtaining a higher education degree. She graduated from EKU in 1975, with a degree in Social Work and earned a Master’s degree in Counseling in 1977. Nancy’s post-college work included working in the counseling department at Morehead University, heading the LEAP program in the Lee County school system, working in the GED program and serving as a traveling (Lee, Wolfe, and Owsley counties) social worker for Lee County Health Center’s Maternal and Child Health & Family Planning program. She never lost her desire or enthusiasm to help others in bettering their lives in any way she could.

     She was loving, compassionate, loyal, good natured, smart, hard-working, and of good humor. Though she was nearly blind, deaf, and lived with chronic pain, she rarely complained. She had a passion for gardening, spending long hours working on her flowers in her yard. She was not only devoted to the people in her life, but also to animals. Nothing made her happier than having a dog follow her around or a cat or two sitting on her lap. In her older years, she enjoyed taking long drives and going out to eat with family. She loved the hills of Eastern Kentucky, UK basketball and her little town of Beattyville.

    Nancy leaves behind to cherish her memory her children, Sally Kay Brewer Johnson (Darwin), John Benton, Clarence Carson, and Kimberly Ann Brewer; grandchildren, Tessica Brewer Patrick (Raymond), Jennifer Brewer Shackelford (Steven), Kyle Johnson, Nicholas Johnson, Christopher Brewer (Sarah), and Stephen and Alexander Brewer; nine great grandchildren; three nieces; one nephew; and a brother-in-law, Gary Brewer (Brenda).

       In addition to her husband, Junior and parents, Clarence and Edith Hughes, Nancy was preceded in death by sisters, Shirley Chamberlain and Patricia Sparks (Roy), brother Charles Hughes “Buddy”, and two beloved nieces. John Brewer, Clarence Brewer, Kyle Johnson, Nicholas Johnson, Christopher Brewer, Stephen Brewer, Raymond Patrick, and Steven Shackelford have the honor of serving as pallbearers. 

Services held Feb. 25th, 2025 at Newnam Funeral Home. Burial at Riverview Cemetery of Lee Co. KY. Newnam in charge of arrangments.