Joe was born on May 31, 1914, in Joplin the oldest of nine children of Icem E. and Mary Maude (McCool) Brewer. He was raised in Parsons.
He married Helen M. Davidson on Sept. 11, 1936, and they were always together until her death in 2005.
He received his bachelor of arts degree and master of arts degree at the University of Kansas and a doctorate in psychology at University of Illinois.
He served as director of the Wichita Guidance Center from 1948 to 1981 and was instrumental in developing the Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program, the first such program to receive national accreditiation. In Kansas, he had an important role in the development of community mental health services statewide.
He was a founding member of the Urban League of Wichita and a fierce advocate for equal rights. He was an avid reader, bird watcher and music lover. In his early years, he enjoyed hiking and nature photography, winning awards for some of his pictures. He was also an active member of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita.
Survivors include his daughter, Margaret Joseph of San Antonio; a son, David Brewer of Wichita; a brother, Bob Brewer of Parsons; and three sisters, Martha McAtee of Parsons, Mary Coad of Auburn, Calif., and Ruth Hurd of Davis, Calif.
There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Jan. 7 at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Joe Brewer Memorial Fund, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita, 7202 E. 21st St., Wichita, 67206.
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