Obituary: Althea Bremner
For 20 years she lived in town before moving back to Cape Cod in 1979; mother of Hinesburg's Sally Mead, grandmother and great-grandmother; an avid golfer who shot four holes-in-one in her lifetime.
Althea Bremner passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Brewster, Massachusetts, surrounded by loved ones. She was 97 years old.
Born Althea Latham in Brewster, to parents Joseph and Althea, Althea lived a beautiful life full of meaning, friendship, family, and helping others.
Althea was a caretaker by nature, so it was no surprise that she would go on to graduate from New England Baptist nursing school and become an RN. Over the course of her career, Althea would help save lives, working as a nurse at Elizabeth Lund Home, the University of Vermont Medical Center, Special Nursing Care in Orleans, and Brewster Manor.
On May 19, 1951, Althea married the love of her life, David “Bear” Bremner. Their relationship was fun, loving, and wonderful. After leaving Cape Cod and living in Kansas for six years, they would eventually settle down in Hinesburg, Vermont, in 1958, where they would become pillars of their community.
Together they had three daughters: Susie, Sally, and Sandra. As a mother, Althea was dedicated and loving. Althea’s nature was happy, inviting, fun, and open, and thus, the spaces she occupied took on that same energy. All the kids in Hinesburg wanted to come over to hang out at the Bremner household, if for no other reason than to hear Althea’s infamously contagious laugh.
In 1979, Althea and David, seeking to return to their roots, moved back to their family home in Brewster, Massachusetts. Back on the Cape again and now retired, Althea’s propensity for living life to its fullest continued. Althea hosted Brewster White Caps baseball players and J1 students from France, England, and Bulgaria. She frequented Café Alfresca and spent time with her many friends including Melanie Gallagher and Barbie Long. She hosted full family Thanksgiving dinners with her daughters and her grandchildren. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, she confidently cruised around Brewster in everything from a bright orange Vespa to a Toyota Camry which had a horn that beeped consistently of its own accord. When her beloved husband David passed in 1996, Althea persevered, maintaining her independence into her elder years and continuing her role as a supportive mother and grandmother.
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Althea was the greatest grandmother the world has ever known. She made her grandkids laugh until they cried, took care of them when they were sick, and supported them when they needed help or a place to stay. She went to sporting events, participated in the “parent-kid” softball games, and even got a tattoo with them. Multiple friends of her grandkids have independently described her as “a total legend” and a better description does not exist.
And now for the part that Althea would want to see in here the most: Althea loved golf. Some people love golf and that’s the end of it, but Althea also crushed at golf. Althea has nine club championships (four at Rocky Ridge Golf Course in St. George, Vermont, and five at Captain’s Golf Course in Brewster, MA). She hit four hole-in-ones over the course of her life. Althea struck fear into the hearts of her opponents, but always played, won, and lost with grace, a positive attitude, and a laugh.
Althea is predeceased by her husband, David “Bear” Bremner, and her five brothers, Joe, Howard, John, William, and Tom. Althea is survived by her three daughters, Susie Bremner, Sally Mead, and Sandra Smith; her five grandchildren, Shawna Mead, TJ Mead, Nick Mead, Kristyna Smith, and Bremner Smith; and her six great-grandchildren, Jackson Mead, Cally Mead, Cooper Mead Agel, Calvin Mead, Bennett Mead, and Cedar Smith. She was so, so greatly loved and she will be dearly missed.
A celebration of Althea’s life will take place at a yet to be decided date and time.