Peyton Brewer-Ross and his daughter, Elle. Courtesy of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
A memorial service will be held this weekend for Peyton Brewer-Ross, a 40-year-old Bath man who was one of 18 people killed in last week’s mass shooting in Lewiston.
Brewer-Ross was a union pipefitter at Bath Iron Works. He leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter, Elle; fiancée, Rachael; four brothers; a sister; and many friends.
“You couldn’t meet Peyton and not be his friend,” his family wrote in his obituary. “He had a way of making you feel as though he knew you for many years even though you may have just met him for the first time. He had a wonderful smile and he loved to make other people laugh. There was a twinkle in his eye if he was up to mischief. If you needed help, Peyton would drop everything to help you out. That’s just the type of guy he was.”
Brewer-Ross was playing in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille the night of Oct. 25 when authorities said 40-year-old Robert Card of Bowdoin burst in and opened fire. Eighteen people were killed in shootings at the bar and a nearby bowling alley, making it the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. Card was found dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound two days later.
Brewer-Ross’ service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the American Legion hall in Boothbay. His brother, Ralph, established a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses and his daughter. Bath Savings locations in Maine are also collecting donations on the family’s behalf.
“It’s just hard to accept,” Ralph Brewer, of Maryland, told the WBAL-TV station there.
Brewer said his brother was a character who loved to laugh and had no enemies. He said he was about to purchase his first home for his family.
Brewer-Ross was born in Farmington and in 2001 graduated Westbrook High School, where he was a member of the wrestling team. He then worked for Bisson Moving & Storage in Portland and was a truck driver delivering Country Kitchen bread. He later received an associate degree from Maine Maritime Academy. For the last five years, he worked at Bath Iron Works and completed its apprenticeship program last year.
“Peyton was a valuable part of our team, a member of the pipe shop test crew and recently assisted in the launch of Hull 523, Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124),” BIW said in a statement, referring to its latest destroyer that’s nearing completion. “(He) was making a positive impact on our company. He will be sorely missed.”
Brewer-Ross was a member of Machinists Union Local S6, which represents about 4,250 of the shipyard’s 6,500 workers.
Devin Ragnar, spokesperson for Local S6, said Brewer-Ross was an upstanding union member, citizen and human being.
“He was caring, compassionate and really funny,” Ragnar said.
Brewer-Ross loved wrestling, often quoting “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and had an affinity for comic books, friends said. He had an elaborate Superman tattoo on his arm.
His family said he was a lifelong New England Patriots and New York Yankees fan and met his fiancée in 2008 at a Portland Sea Dogs game. He was an avid cornhole player and had been teaching his daughter how to play.
“He was doing something he loved when he was taken way too young,” his brother said on social media.
Peyton Brewer-Ross at a comic book event in 2021. The 40-year-old Bath Iron Works union pipefitter was killed in the mass shooting in Lewiston on Oct. 25. Courtesy of KaveMann Toys & Collectibles
Send questions/comments to the editors.
