Dumas Brewington Sr., a master brick mason whose craftsmanship created landmarks across Rockingham and whose 71-year marriage produced a family of remarkable breadth, died on October 15, 2010. He was 90.
His death was acknowledged in a celebration of life service that honored both his earthly accomplishments and his spiritual journey.
Mr. Brewington's skilled hands helped build the Rockingham Town Square fountain, Roberdel Baptist Church, and Radio Shack, among countless other structures that stand as silent testimonials to his artistry and precision. But his true monument may be the expansive family he created with his wife, Eddie Mae Little Brewington, whom he first courted by pulling her long braided pigtails on a playground.
That youthful courtship blossomed into a New Year's Day wedding in 1939 and a union that produced fourteen children—seven boys and seven girls—and branched out to include 41 grandchildren, 73 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren at the time of his death.
Born on January 12, 1920, Mr. Brewington developed a strong work ethic that defined his life. Beyond his masonry work, he held positions at various mills, a security company, and within the school system. He also shared his expertise as an instructor of brick masonry at Marston Training School, training a new generation in the craft he had mastered.
Mr. Brewington served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of corporal and earning both the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Following his honorable discharge in 1946, he often regaled listeners with tales of his service in the Philippines and his impressions of Europe and the Pacific.
Faith formed another cornerstone of Mr. Brewington's life. He accepted Christianity at an early age and maintained an abiding love for biblical study. He taught Sunday school at Green Lake Baptist Church before later becoming a devoted member of the Church of Christ, where he served faithfully until health concerns curtailed his activities in 2008.
Those who knew Mr. Brewington remember a man whose "jovial spirit" and "quick wit" were as much his signature as the perfectly laid bricks in his constructions. His "magnetic persona" drew people to him at Charlie's Corner Restaurant, where he enjoyed breakfast with friends, at the local flea market, or during impromptu conversations with fellow shoppers at Wal-Mart.
"Dumas' heart knew no strangers," noted his obituary, capturing the essence of a man who cultivated relationships with the same care he brought to his craft.
He was preceded in death by his brother McKinley and two sons, David Lee and George Thomas Brewington Sr.
In a poignant tribute, his daughter Rose recalled bringing her father "a cool, cool glass of water" on the day of his passing—a final act of tenderness that embodied the nurturing relationship between father and child.
His wife Eddie Mae's poem to her husband of more than seven decades spoke to a love that transcended even death: "We've known so much of happiness, We've had our cup of joy, And memory is one gift of joy That death can not destroy."
