Jess Lynn Brewer

Dr. Jess Brewer, 88, a longtime veterinarian, who practiced in northwest Oklahoma, southern Kansas, and the Texas panhandle, passed away peacefully at his home on Christmas morning, December 25, 2025, surrounded by his family and loved ones. Dr. Brewer had resided near Lacey, Oklahoma, on his cattle ranch for the past 25 years, and at 88, he still was licensed and active in the practice of veterinary medicine in Oklahoma. Brewer was also still buying and selling cattle. Jess never thought of retiring, because he was doing what he loved.

Jess was born on April 22, 1937, in his parents' home in Enid, Oklahoma, to Martha Naomi née Woicikowfski Brewer and Leo Orr Brewer. Jess was the youngest of their seven children.

Early in his life, Jess was baptized at the First Methodist church on Grand Avenue, in Enid, Oklahoma.

Jess had siblings almost 20 years older than he; consequently, he grew up with his nieces and nephews, who were closer to his age than his actual brothers and sisters.

Jess's father, Leo Brewer, was an established rancher, roper, horseman, and livestock buyer. It was from his father that Jess acquired his love of animals, and the western way of life. Jess was sitting on a horse with his father before he could walk. By the time he was 11, Jess had his own horse, saddle, and rope; and he was terrorizing the neighborhood, practicing his heading and healing roping techniques on the other neighbor children. While his classmates played football or baseball, Jess only wanted to become a better horseman and roper. He became an extremely proficient horseman and this was beneficial to him in the early years of his veterinary practice. Jess would have to take a horse with him on large animal vet calls, to rope sick animals in farmers' pastures before he could treat them for whatever disease they might have. This was in an era prior to portable corrals; and this was many, many years before the invention of the tranquilizer gun. Jess also enjoyed team roping with his closest friend, George Bittle. George was a very good header and Jess was an excellent healer. They spent countless Friday and Saturday nights roping steers at Bittle's Arena, in Kremlin, Oklahoma.

Jess attended Harrison Elementary School in Enid, Oklahoma, and later, Enid High School. After graduation from Enid High in 1955, Jess enrolled at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Jess condensed four years of undergraduate study into just two years, by taking 20 to 23 credit hours of pre-veterinary medicine classes each semester; while also taking mandatory ROTC; and working full time and weekends, buying, selling, and hauling livestock. Jess's work ethic had long been established before college, and it continued throughout his lifetime.

In a rare occurrence, after only two years of undergraduate study, in 1957 Jess was accepted to Oklahoma State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Brewer began studying courses for his doctorate degree at the age of 19.

In his freshman year of vet school, he married Kathleen Platt. During his sophomore year of vet school, he became a father to his oldest child, Tammy Lynn Brewer. During Jess's senior year of vet school, he again became a father, to Jess Lynn Brewer, II. In May of 1961, Brewer was graduated with honors from Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Jess intended to go into private practice in Enid, Oklahoma, after his graduation, but the United States Army disrupted those plans. Shortly after receiving his degree in Veterinary Medicine, he was drafted. He and his family were sent to Chicago, Illinois, for his basic training. After finishing that training, Jess served for two years at Fort Knox, Kentucky, near Louisville, as the only veterinarian on the entire army base. It was at Fort Knox, where his third child, David Wayne Brewer, was born in 1962. After two years in the Army, Jess was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.


Upon leaving Fort Knox in early 1964, Dr. Brewer returned to Enid and established a solo practice, treating both large and small animals. As a veterinarian, Jess treated everything from a cotton tail rabbit to an elephant, with an occasional lion thrown in the mix; but more frequently, over the 64 years he practiced, Dr. Brewer treated dogs, cats, horses and cattle.

Despite becoming a veterinarian, what Jess really aspired to, was to be a cattleman. Dr. Brewer bought cattle all over the United States, from upstate New York, to Calexico, California, and most places in-between. In the late 1960s, Jess heard about dispersal sales which various Indian tribes in Northern Arizona would conduct. He flew to Phoenix and traveled north to see if this might be a new source for obtaining cattle. It was; and Jess bought cattle on the Navajo Reservation, the Hopi Reservation, and the Hualapai, Havasupai, and White Mountain Apache Indian Reservations, for more than 20 years until the Indians began selling their livestock via video auctions. Trips to remote Indian villages such as Second Mesa, Peach Springs, McNary, Tuba City, Leupp, or Ganado were common. Cattle buying expeditions began in Oklahoma City, continued on to San Antonio, then to Gallup, New Mexico; and from there, on to the various Indian Reservations in Arizona. The cattle purchasing trips usually finished up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Occasionally, Jess would take one of his young children with him on these adventures, so that they could experience what his "job" entailed. All three of his children partook in these often weeks-long excursions throughout the southwestern United States and the Indian reservations.

In the early 1980s, Jess began overseeing cattle feeding operations, and was the consulting veterinarian for numerous feedlots throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.

In the late 1980s, Jess became one of five partners who owned the world's largest privately held feedlot, in Garden City, Kansas.

In 1994, Jess was involved in another partnership, which involved purchasing and shipping some of the first cattle from the United States to the new Russian Federation. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian businessmen became interested in improving the quality of breeding stock in their cattle herds, and they specifically wanted Black Angus cattle from America for that purpose. Jess and his partners sent several shiploads of black cattle to Russia, via the Port of Novorossiysk.

Jess had friends and business acquaintances all over the United States. In 2010, a close friend in Scottsdale, Arizona, introduced Jess to the CEO of Strategic Resource Group, a global retail and CPG consulting company in Manhattan, New York. The company gathers information and is featured on media outlets such as NBC, ABC, Forbes, CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg's and Wall Street Journal, among many others. The CEO would telephone Dr. Brewer when he needed information, prior to making industry reports on the status of the cattle market and prices, in the United States. Jess was an expert source of information regarding the beef industry, whether it was from the perspective of an owner, producer, investor, buyer, seller, or veterinarian. Jess was always amused when he'd receive phone calls from Manhattan, New York.

Jess was honored to have been a Mason for more than 65 years, having joined the Rite at the age of 21. In January, 2021, he received his 60 year pin award. Jess's great, great grandfather was a Mason, and Jess's great grandfather was also a Mason. Jess's grandmother was a member of the Order of the Easter Star.

Jess will be remembered as kind, generous, compassionate, and loving, with a dry sense of humor to those who knew him well; and as reserved, brusque, pithy, and laconic, to those who didn't.

In accordance with Jess's written wishes, he was buried at his ranch the day following his death. The interment was a private ceremony. Dr. Brewer is resting underneath a large Oak tree, with his favorite dog buried on one side of him, and his favorite horse, on the other. May he rest in peace, where the grass is green, lush, and stirrup high; and the fences never need fixing.


A Celebration of Jess's Life will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at the Family Café, on the west side of Main Street, in Hennessey, Oklahoma. Tommy Donaldson, Jess's longtime friend and pastor, will be officiating, followed by a reception, reminiscing, and sharing of good memories of Dr. Brewer's life, well lived.


Those left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Dr. Tammy Lynn Brewer, Phoenix, Arizona; his son, J.L. Brewer (Jane), Edmond, Oklahoma; two grandchildren, Meghan Nicole Brewer, Arlington, Texas; and Justin Wayne Brewer, also of Arlington, Texas; two special nieces, Marty née Carner Major, Yukon, Oklahoma; and Carol Elaine née Brewer Albright, Houston, Texas; a very special great nephew, Jeffry Leo Hatfield, Enid, Oklahoma; two special friends, Virginia "Gini" Zaloudek, Kremlin, Oklahoma; and Chiquita Hosey Cornelius, Topeka, Kansas; along with Jess's Ranch Foreman of many years, Michael Sadler, who keeps the Lazy B Ranch operating.

Jess was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Wayne Leo Brewer, Ralph Allen Brewer, and Ira Dale Brewer; sisters Dorothy Helen Brewer Carner, Norma Lee Brewer Hatfield, and Naomi Maxine Brewer Lyon Ware; a special nephew, Dr. Leon Wayne Brewer; and his youngest child, Dr. David Wayne Brewer. Jess was the last remaining child from the union of Martha and Leo Brewer, which began in 1917.

Honorary Pall Bearers are Gerald Floyd, Amarillo, Texas; John Dunivan, Perry, Oklahoma; Jimmy Flaming, Piedmont, Oklahoma; Tyrel Cline, Lacey, Oklahoma; Jeffry Hatfield, Enid, Oklahoma; and J.L. Brewer, Edmond, Oklahoma.

A special thanks is extended to Jess's very compassionate and exceptionally dedicated team of health professionals, Lorena Hernandez, of Enid, Oklahoma; and Morgan Goff, of Watonga, Oklahoma; who both traveled to the ranch daily to ensure the best, most attentive care possible for Jess; as well as the extraordinary, personalized guidance and concern from his longtime physician, Dr. Robi Chatterji, of Enid, Oklahoma.

For those who may wish to make a donation in Jess's honor, two of his favorite charities were the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and the Toby Keith Foundation, OK Kids Korral. Addresses are: The Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, Texas, 75219, attention: Development; The Toby Keith Foundation, OK Kids Korral, 818 N.E. 8th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73104, attention: Juliet.