Barney Jim Brewer

Barney Jim Brewer, 12/21/1935 - 5/2/2017. Barney was born in Arkansas City Kansas on December 21, 1935, and grew up in Denver Colorado. He graduated from East High School in 1954. He then attended art school at CU in Boulder before graduating with a B.A. in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Denver University. He moved to Breckenridge in 1961, the same year that the ski area opened, and became a fixture in the Breckenridge community. He raised a family with Kate Brewer on High Street where they had two children. During his days in Breckenridge Barney was a businessman, an entrepreneur and a volunteer. Among his many pursuits, he started and ran some of the first ventures of their kind in Breckenridge, including: “Barney’s Hotelery,” “Barney Brewer and Company Real Estate,” “Breckenridge Home Care,” “Breckenridge Tours,” “The Breckenridge Ski Touring Experience,” and “Cycle Stash,” a bike cover company. He also served for years as a volunteer with the Red White and Blue Fire Department. Barney’s interests and influence in Breckenridge extended from having the very first sailboat on Dillon Lake, to starting the first bus line in Summit County, to helping to establish the historic district in Breckenridge, to advocating for the creation of our recreation path. Barney was an avid cross country skier whose hat was famously the color of the ski wax appropriate for the conditions of the day. In the 1990’s Barney went out on the road with professional bike racing, at first to promote his bike covers, but then simply because he enjoyed it. He served as the volunteer broom wagon for the Red Zinger Classic, The Coors Classic, The Race Across America, The Tour de Trump, and the summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. For about 10 years, Barney lived in Rockland Maine and San Diego before moving to Arvada Colorado where he served on the HOTA Board for several years. He loved Old Town Arvada, it’s history and potential. Barney predicted much of the recent progress taking place in Old Town today. He also loved serving as driver extraordinaire for his grand children who lived nearby. Barney was loved by those he connected with in his neighborhood, whether by doing his “chores” in his yard, riding his bike or cross country skiing in Wolf Park. Barney is survived by his daughter and son in law, Betsey and Brian Tinker of Arvada Colorado and his Son Ben Brewer of Breckenridge and his five grand children: Matthew, Sarah Mei, Zia and Xiang Lin of Arvada and Jacob Brewer of Breckenridge. An open house gathering to celebrate the life of Barney Brewer is being held on Saturday May 27th at the Breckenridge Nordic Center from 3-6 PM.