Franklin C. "Bud" Brewster, Jr., age 69, a Wheaton resident, died peacefully at home, on Sunday, July 29, 2012. He spent his childhood years in Franklin Park, IL and was born on January 8, 1943 in Joliet, IL.

Music, the written word, and bicycling were Bud's passions. A former member of the West Suburban Choral Union, he was also an entertaining pianist, and enjoyed playing the cello. A classical radio host in Albuquerque, NM and supporting roles with symphony management in Santa Barbara, CA and several Midwestern states rounded out Bud's love of music. A long-time Wheaton Kiwanis Club member, Bud evoked laughter and whimsy with his thematic musical selections, piano playing and song-leading.

His writing career included documenting computer software and most recently, as a writer/editor for Allured Business Media in Carol Stream, IL, where Bud worked from 1997 until his retirement in 2009. An inquisitive mind always found Bud searching for the science behind the claims, as he worked with peer reviewers and authors.

In the 1960s, Bud served his country in the Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, NM.

Beloved son of the late Margaret and Franklin Brewster, he is survived by his sister Kathleen (William) Hamilton of Montclair, NJ, and niece, Alexandra Hamilton of Little Falls, NJ, his life-long friend, Jean Gallup, of Wheaton, IL, plus the many people whose lives he touched with words and music. Of the many roles in his life, Bud's most fulfilling was that of principal caregiver for his mother, who remained at home with him in Wheaton, IL, until her death at 95 years, on March 23, 2011.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 1, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St. in Wheaton. Burial will be private.

Memorials may be directed to the Kiwanis Club of Wheaton Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 33, Wheaton, IL 60187. To learn about the Kiwanis Club, please call 630-665-8122.