On March 16, surrounded by his wonderful wife Becca, his beloved sons Will, Eli, Peter, and Seth, and his dear brother Seth (DA ‘78), we lost one of the truly good ones… one of the very best, in fact.. we lost Toby Brewster.
At Deerfield, many of us will remember Toby as the swimmer who not only vanquished the competition (he took “our foes shall vanquished be” very seriously!) but also regularly schooled Jenkins, Guppy, Harding, Karb et. al., leaving them coughing water in his wake. Many will remember Toby as the cross-country stud who similarly dominated the competition and regularly left classmates Hunt, Rowe and the other Deerfield also-rans (who I believe, like their swimming brethren, won multiple championships!) eating his dust. Many will remember Toby as the true editorial and intellectual force behind the award-winning Deerfield Scroll even though Knisley held the fancy title. But most of us will remember Toby as one of the kindest, most self-effacing, sincere, caring and generous of heart people we’ve ever known… not a mean or disingenuous bone in his body. And we’ll never forget his impish, mischievous smile and his endearing and infectious signature laugh.
After Deerfield and following Toby’s 4 years at Dartmouth with about 20 of us from Deerfield… a humorous side-note about that: Dartmouth accepted twenty-six ’79-ers and, in the ignominious tradition of “rather be rowdy than cum laude,” we misbehaved so noticeably during our freshman year that Dartmouth Admissions accepted only five ’80s the following year!… anyway, after Dartmouth, Toby embarked on a life dedicated to educating and serving others. He taught English at Deerfield before moving on to St. Paul’s School where he and Becca were beloved teachers and administrators for decades, raising their boys right there on campus where the entire Brewster family became an institution within an institution. Toby also coached cross-country running and nordic skiing at St Paul’s, leading his teams to championships in both, if memory serves.
But for all of Toby’s many accomplishments, what was most important to him were his deep friendships and, above all else, the love of his life, Becca, his pride and joy four sons, and his brother Seth whom he idolized.
Toby, we take heart and comfort knowing that you are no-doubt smiling that impish grin at us right now, and we’re smiling right back at you my friend, just as we will every time we think of you. We are all honored to be able to call you our friend.
On-shore breeze quiets
As shadows lengthen, light fades
Eve’s calming embrace
Rest in peace, William Tobias Brewster… we love you brother.
Eric Sachsse ’79
