of Mountain View, AR

October 23, 1925 - March 15, 2016

Laudis was born October 23, 1925 at Fifty-Six, Arkansas to Dexter and Ethel Gammill Brewer. At a few months of age, his parents took him by train to Seminole, Oklahoma to work in the oil fields. They lived in a tent city until shrapnel injured his mother in a blast. With the $85.00 settlement, they returned to Stone County and bought a small farm on ''Painters Branch'' (Panther Branch) between Big Springs and Pleasant Hill. Laudis lived there until eighteen years of age.

He attended grades one through eight in a one room schoolhouse at Pleasant Hill where he also attended church and Sunday School on weekends. It was there that he was saved at an early age. He was baptized into the Baptist faith at Roasting Ear Creek by Brother Jess Goodman.

He attended Mountain View High School afterwards, riding a bicycle or walking about two and a half miles from his house at Painters Branch to Highway 66 at Newnata and boarded a homemade school bus. The bus route started at Fox, Arkansas, came down Timbo Mountain, turned West to Alco and back through Timbo and Newnata, picking up a standing room only bus full of students all along the highway. On occasion, when he missed the bus, he would hitchhike to school.

During his years of High School, WWII was raging. Laudis turned eighteen years of age during his eleventh grade. After completing the eleventh grade, he was drafted and inducted into the U. S. Army on June 23, 1944. He received his basic training in Fort McClelland, Alabama. Afterwards, he was sent to the European Theatre War, landing in France and traveling by train into Germany.

Laudis was wounded twice during the heavy battle in the Battle of the Bulge while in a foxhole. A bullet entered the front of his helmet and ricocheted along the side of his head, coming out the back, leaving a three-inch crease on the side of his head. Laudis later received shrapnel injuries in his shoulder from a hand grenade being thrown into the foxhole.

Although injured and bleeding, he was unable to get out of the foxhole due to heavy fire. Hours later, as the enemy passed over, he lay motionless. When he could no longer hear sounds of the enemy, he climbed out of the foxhole and crawled across an open field through the snow to get help. When he got to the Commander, he was told to hold onto a telephone line which led him to medical help. He received surgery in the field hospital and was then sent to Paris, France to recuperate. Once recuperated, he was sent back to the front lines. After the war ended, Laudis returned to the United States to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for discharge on June 15, 1946. He was given a bus ticket and $36.15 travel pay to return home to Stone County.

He was a rifleman and received his combat infantryman badge on December 24, 1944. His decorations and citations were EAME Campaign Ribbon with two bronze stars, good conduct medal, two purple hearts, victory ribbon, and three overseas service bars.

Laudis was very patriotic to his country. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Purple Heart Organization. He received a plaque for 70 years of continuous membership in the American Legion, beginning at age 20.

Laudis met the love of his life soon after he returned home. Anna admitted she was stricken with Laudis from the first time she had seen him. On December 24, 1947, he married Anna Jean Kendrick.

In December, 1948, two important events occurred in their lives: their son Gary was born and they purchased a small farm on Highway 66 West of Mountain View, which has been their home to this day.

In the years following, three more children were born: Gladys, Larry and Gerald.

Laudis worked at numerous jobs, including farming, storekeeper for Brewer's Feed and Seed, hauling cattle for Brewer's Livestock Auction, and Revenue Inspector for Stone County. He was instrumental in the purchase of the land for the industrial park and was involved with many other community improvements. He and his partner, Jim Rice, owned a real estate business, Frontier Real Estate. After being struck with rheumatoid arthritis, Laudis was unable to continue his real estate career.

After he retired, Laudis became interested in writing short stories and poems in regard to history and genealogy.

Laudis was an active member of Red Doors Baptist Church, an ordained deacon, a choir director, and sang with a gospel group, The Happy Four Quartet, for many years, having several recordings on 8-track tapes and records. He enthusiastically attended and participated in singings throughout the county and state and sang for hundreds of funerals. He was also an avid collector of gospel songbooks, having collected, catalogued and indexed more than 300 songbooks.

Laudis was a humble person, never one to boast, stating many times, ''I do not deserve this.'' He was always there for his siblings as they would go to him for advice. He did not embellish the more colorful events which happened in his life, including his rescue of a child from a bear and capturing two escaped criminals who were hiding in his abandoned chicken house.

He was always bragging on his ''Annie,'' saying that, ''she was the best thing that had ever happened to me,'' and freely told that she ''treats me as good as a baby. She's so good to me.'' The last thing he told Anna after she kissed his forehead each night was, ''Thank you, mama, for all you've done for me today.''

Laudis Brewer was born October 23, 1925 at Fifty-Six, Arkansas to Dexter and Ethel Gammill Brewer. Laudis passed away on March 15, 2016 at his home. On December 24, 1947, he married Anna Jean Kendrick.

He is survived by his wife, Anna, of 68 years, four children, Gary Brewer and Irene of Arkadelphia, Gladys Wallis and Floyd of Mountain View, Larry and Gretchen of Overland Park, Kansas, and Gerald Brewer and Susie of Hot Springs, Arkansas, along with eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren, two brothers, Delldon Brewer of Texarkana and James and Deloris Brewer of Mountain View, one sister, Nelta Upton of Texarkana, many cousins, and a host of relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dexter and Ethel Brewer, three sisters, Lovra Hightower, Oneida Morrison Harness and Irene Fletcher, two brothers, Eldon Brewer and Donald Brewer.

Visitation will be at Roller-Coffman Chapel on Thursday, March 17, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and his services will also be held at Roller-Coffman Chapel on Friday, March 18, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. Luther Branscum and Brother Ludene Hudspeth officiating. Interment will be at Big Springs Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be David Brewer, Patrick Brewer, Dexter Brewer, Nicholas Brewer, Fred Fletcher and Terry Morrison. Honorary pallbearers will be Eldo Fletcher, Bobby Upton, Paul Gowens and nephews of Mr. Brewer.

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