William Brehm

William Brehm, 76, of Mt. Pleasant passed away Sunday, September 24, 2006 at his home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Noon, Wednesday, Sept. 27, at SacredHeart Catholic Church with Father Robert Byrne and Deacon Larry Fussman co-officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call at Lux Funeral Home on Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. with a vigil service beginning at 7 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Wednesday from 11 a.m. until the mass begins. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sacred Heart Academy Foundation. Envelopes are available at Lux Funeral Home. Bill was born Feb. 26, 1930 in Los Angeles, California, the son of William and Bernadette (Cross) Brehm. He graduated from Cadillac High School in 1947 and received his B.S. from Ferris State College in 1951 as an accounting major. On April 15, 1951 he married Clarice Smrekar in Cadillac. From 1951-1959 Bill owned and operated Cadillac Beverage Co. serving nine counties in northern Michigan. They moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1959 and founded Chippewa Beverage Co., serving four counties in central Michigan. In 1964 the beverage company was sold and the Holiday Inn of Mt. Pleasant was constructed, which the Brehm family still operates today. Golf was added in 1966 and named Holiday Greens. Expanding to the south, the Comfort Inn of Okemos was built in 1986. Finally, in 1988, the Pohlcat in Mt. Pleasant was designed and formed. In addition to many business interests, Bill enjoyed golfing, skiing and boating. He has also had his pilots license since 1958. After his the death of his wife, Clarice in 1998, he married Joyce Cotter Wallace on Sept. 30, 2000 at Sacred Heart Church. Bill leaves behind his wife, Joyce; six children, Janice and the late, Daryl Lessard of Mt. Pleasant and their children, Rachel (Greg) Trost and Caryla (Rob) Mohr, Barbara and Gary Grewe of Shepherd and their children, Charlie (Mindy) Jetter, Jennie Jetter, and Rebecca (Dustin) Seager, John Brehm of Mt. Pleasant and his daughters, Katie, Molly, and Paige Brehm, Michael and Debra Brehm of Mt. Pleasant and their children, Ryan, Natalie, and Hannah Brehm, William L. and Amy Brehm of Okemos and their children, Taylor, Morgan, Alexa, and Billy and Thomas and Rebecca Brehm of Commerce Park and their children, Haley, Logan, and Garrett; three step-children, Dr. Michael and Carol Wallace of Valdosta, Ga. and their children, Austin, Pierce, Doyle, and Madalyn, Russell and Laurie Wallace of Valdosta, Ga. and Megan and Dr. Mary Callsen Wallace of Washington D.C. and their children, Caroline and Eleanor; and a great-granddaughter, Ashley Trost. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Clarice in 1998; son-in-law, Daryl Lessard in 2003; and his parents.