​A Tribute to Deanne

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​Deanne Brewster, a much loved and respected member of our community, took her leave from us all on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. She was many things in her rich and varied life, but a thread that runs throughout is her belief in collaboration. In that spirit, this tribute is a collaborative effort of her loving sister, Linda, many friends, new and old, and colleagues from all over the world.

Deanne at her wheel

Linda describes Deanne as the overachiever of the family. Prim and proper, even as a young girl, she had a knack for leadership and a mind that never stopped working. When their younger sister, Kathy died tragically in her teens, Deanne stepped up to handle all the necessary arrangements. She had a wide circle of friends, a sharp wit, and confident spirit. ​

Deanne with sisters Kathy & Linda

Deanne graduated from Mount Union College and went on to explore a career in social work. It broke her heart to realize that she couldn’t fix people who didn’t want to be helped—but that didn’t stop her from trying. She had a deep desire to take care of others, even if it came at a personal cost. 

Following her time as a social worker, it was, in part, a passion for math that resulted in a career shift towards working in technology. She eventually crafted a decades-long career for herself at IBM. Her journey took her from Cleveland to Dallas, to White Plains, San Francisco, and beyond, where she grew into a powerhouse of technical knowledge and managerial skills in a male-dominated field. She wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. And she both wanted and accomplished a great deal—with her usual strength, grace and, always, collaboration.

She met Jim, her husband to be, while on a chartered Caribbean cruise with a friend where Jim was the captain. They fell in love on the water and held tight to each other for the rest of his life. Married on November 14, 1987, they made a beautiful life together. Interestingly, despite his structure and her free spirit, it was Jim who helped Deanne begin to create balance in her life.  This led to her taking pottery lessons starting several years before their move to Prescott.  And, when they did make the move and then built their home here, it included a large free-standing pottery studio where she further developed her pottery skills.

This rich chapter in her life was defined by a variety of activities and friendships centered largely around the arts. She took clay classes at Yavapai College and made many new friends. When she needed a sturdy base for a birdbath she had created, she reached out to retired music-educator-turned-metalworker, Barb Andress, who welded a base that pleased them both. That began a 17 year collaboration in clay and metal, taking the Designing Duo to shows and galleries across Arizona. Both had taken up art after retiring from their earlier careers, and they grew and developed together, solving problems, figuring things out, collaborating in beautiful ways.

Deanne & Jim

Deanne reached out to the arts community, joining Arizona Designer Craftsmen bringing her business and leadership skills along with her growing pottery skills. She quickly became a force for progress in the Quad Cities pottery community, working collaboratively to create first Art Escape. A few years later, through Art Escape, Deanne was led to Mountain Artists Guild and together with her connections there, founded the Prescott Area Artists Studio Tour in 2008, which continues as one of the Quad Cities’ premier annual art events to this day. Deanne served on the executive committee and as its director until her death.
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In the midst of her pottery career, Deanne lost Jim in March of 2012, and, as one would expect, turned to her world of chosen family and dear friends to see her through his loss. In response to her many years of giving, friends from her music world, her pottery world, her book club, her foodie world, her neighborhood jumped in and supported her in reinventing herself once again. With that support, she loosened the reins and let her intellectual and creative curiosity guide her in ways she had not yet explored. In her pottery, she had the time to explore new techniques. In her book world, she began to suggest more politically charged books. And she remained an active patron of the arts as well as an artist. If possible, she became even more of a mentor to new potters and was a founding member of a new organization of potters called Mud Makers until the end of her life.

Deanne with a special piece

While it would be easy to stay focused on her many accomplishments, it’s also important to remember that Deanne never lost her sense of fun nor her collaborative approach to life. She was fully aware of how both kept her going and how much she had benefited from both. She wasn’t a conformist, but she wasn’t a rebel either. She had a way of redesigning the world around her to make it fit who she was without alienating others. That never changed—not even in her final days. From her hospital bed, she was still handing out to-do lists, making sure subscriptions were canceled and bills were paid, loved ones were taken care of, right down to the electricity staying on at her house. That was Deanne: thoughtful, thorough, and always taking care of others. She will be greatly missed by all of us.

Deanne requested that all donations in her memory go to Mud Makers, 1597 E. Yorkshire Dr, Chino Valley, AZ 86323.

She also requested that her remaining pottery inventory be sold during the Studio Tour, October 3, 4 & 5, 2025 with all proceeds from sales going to fund children's art programs through the Studio Tour. Her work will be available in Studio 15 during the Tour.