Jack Faber

Jack Faber, 93, of Brewster, Kansas died on Friday, December 31, 2021, in Lakewood, Colorado, surrounded by family. He was born October 27, 1928, to Artie (Smith) and John Faber, at his Aunt Ella’s home in Kearney County, Nebraska and baptized January 25, 1929. He began primary school at the age of three, scored high on exams, and by the age of 12 he started, but never finished, high school in Colby. Instead, the teen went to work on the farm and worked for other local ranchers. Known for some antics, his mother could have probably attested to the need to keep Jack busy when she shockingly discovered he had wired the outhouse seat with a battery charger.

On December 9, 1945, 17-year-old Jack eloped with his sweetheart, Mary, all the way to Goodland. After Mary’s unplanned reveal of their secret marriage the following day, Jack’s folks were not happy, and Mary’s folks gave the newlyweds $50. Some of the money went toward a honeymoon in Denver; Mary spent the remaining bounty on a pretty dress. Jack and Mary spent many evenings together at local barn dances, where Jack might also have been found playing the guitar or the fiddle. The neighbors said it would never last. Jack’s smitten eyes and affectionate smile as he held Mary’s hand 75 years later would beg to differ.

Jack was a loving husband and father, a skilled farmer, and a sensible businessman, who devoted his life, above all else, to family. He served as a role model and a resource for family and community alike for life and business. He will always be remembered for his strong, steady presence and compassion for others, selflessness, and integrity. Jack’s capacity for acceptance and unconditional love cultivated strong reciprocal love and respect from so many others throughout his life. Jack and Mary’s home in Brewster was the center for family meals and holiday gatherings and a safe place for people to just exist. Grandkids commonly greeted their Grandpa Jack by tickling their fingers across the top of his crew cut head.

Over their 75 years together, Jack and Mary built a family and a farming business. During drought times, he would drive truck from Denver to haul cars to Chicago or work as a custom harvester, even taking his own crew one year. Jack later stepped away from full-time farming and turned his focus to his work with the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. Eventually, in the 1970s, Jack attained his GED to formalize his high school education so he could work for Federal Crop Insurance. After briefly living in Hays and Manhattan for Jack’s work, the couple returned to Brewster, where their family eagerly awaited their return. For some time, he also sold Triumph Seed with his son, John, and won a salesmanship award.

Always community-minded, Jack was a longtime member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Brewster, the Brewster Lions’ Club, the Elks’ Club, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and was a charter member of the Brewster Senior Center. He sat on the boards of the Farmers’ Co-Op, Brewster Senior Center, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Farm Management, and the Mirage and Brewster Schools. In 1966, Jack was recognized with a Rawlins County Conservation Award. Later, in 2007, he was awarded the Brewster Community Award. Let us not forget the many years he called bingo for all the gambling folk, including Mary, in the greater northwest Kansas region. The community remembers him for his humility, quiet presence, observant nature, and that canny smile that let everyone know that he knew. Jack seemed to know everything about everyone for generations of folks and, in his later years, even kept up to date on everyone’s lives through his own social media account.

Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents; sister, Dinah Faber Knight; granddaughter Jennifer Renee Faber; and son-in-law Albert Holub.

He is survived by his children, Jackie (Darrell) Jorgensen, of Brewster, KS; Vonita Holub, of Brewster, KS; and John (Renee) Faber, of Brewster, KS; sister, Kathleen O’Neal; grandchildren David (JimMarie) Jorgensen, Daniel (Jennifer) Jorgensen, Sarah Jorgensen (Dustin Wessels), Julie Williams, Matthew (Stacy) Wallsmith, Jessica (James) House, Joshua (Ronda) Faber, Jeremiah Faber, Jacob Faber; so many great and great-great grandchildren from whom he adored visits; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial service will be at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 14, 2022, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Brewster, KS. Burial will be performed later at the Faber Family Cemetery in rural Rawlins County. Memorials are suggested to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Brewster Heritage Center, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. Online condolences: www.baalmannmortuary.com