Fay Halstead Brush was the third child born on Dec. 21,1934 into the George Elwood Halstead home in Beaver County, PA located near the PA, OH, and WV tri-state area. Due to her mother's illness, she was taken as a baby and raised by her grandparents. Her grandparents
were share-farmers, very poor, but took in many children, raising a total of about 20 children. They were devout Wesleyan Methodists, people of faith and prayer. Fay learned to garden, can food, live off the land, care for chickens, pigs and cows. She especially remembers feeding
orphaned piglets with milk in a bottle. She grew sweet corn and sold it in local markets. Fay finished grades 1-8 in the one-roomed Buchanan school house. There was no high school in her area, so she stayed at home and worked on the farm and helped care for her aging
grandmother. Fay had a gift for music and learned to play the piano very well with very few lessons. She became the church pianist, and also learned to play the trumpet. Fay and her friend Ruth played accordions and traveled eastern Ohio and western Penna. in evangelistic singing for revival meetings. On one of those trips she met a family who influenced her to make a trip to Hobe Sound Camp Meeting in FL in 1957. This was a yearly meeting that takes place on the campus of Hobe Sound Bible College. At the age of 25, a local high school was built, so she decided to go back to school with the goal of becoming a nurse. Fay took extra courses by correspondence, and after 3 years
graduated along with students that were eight years younger than herself. Fay enrolled in the Washington, PA School of Nursing. She earned top grades, and graduated with her RN degree, in 1964. Fay got a job working at the General Hospital at Weirton, WV, and worked there for about 6 years. When not working as a nurse, she loved to drive the John Deere 60 tractor, plowing with a 3-bottom plow! On one of her yearly trips to the Hobe Sound, FL camp meetings, she met and fell in love with a preacher from Alabama, Rev. Norman Brush. Rev. Brush's had wife passed away, leaving him with 8 children, seven of whom were still at home. Fay married Norman 3 months later at the age of 35. Since Fay was used to living in a home with lots of other children, it seemed like she was finally in her niche. Fay loved homemaking , cooking and baking, and was so happy when the whole family was sitting around the table. Fay was a perfectionist at everything she engaged herself in. Fay got a job at Martin North Hospital in Stuart, Fl in the OB department. She also loved her time there delivering babies! She worked hard to help raise the children, and helped to pay for Private Christian School. All of the children are adults now, and are doing well. Her husband, Norman, ran Brush Builders and was an excellent home builder. He built many buildings on the campus of Hobe Sound Bible College, including the Large Tabernacle, and Administration Building. He was on the board there for many years. Her husband, Norman
died in 1998, so she has been a widow since then. After working many years at Martin North, (not sure how many), she did private duty
nursing on Jupiter Island. One of her employers was Mrs. Dorothy Walker Bush, mother of President George Herbert Walker Bush. She treasures a picture of herself and Pres. Bush, taken on one of his visits to see his mother. Fay was an excellent seamstress. She could make anything, including almost all of her dresses, and even a suit-jacket for her husband. Fay also made many of the costumes for the annual Singing Christmas Tree. She loved to embroider, crochet, and knit. Coming from Pennsylvania farm background, she leaned to quilt from the church ladies as a young girl. She made many quilts that could be showpieces. They are perfectly hand-stitched, as good or better than any Amish quilts. She could grow anything. One of her hobbies was canning her own food. Fay took classes at the College and learned to do beautiful oil paintings. Her paintings are very detail oriented.Even with Alzheimer's taking its toll, on good days Fay could still play one or two of the hymns that she used to play at church. On good days, she even remembered some of the words of the songs. When you mention the name of Jesus, her face still lit up.

What a legacy!

Fay is survived by her eight stepchildren. Norman Brush Jr. (Merilee), Jonathan Brush deceased (Kim), Rhonda Brush Smith (David), Gordon Brush (Deborah), Elizabeth Brush Hanson, Phyllis Brush Darrah (Chris), Benjamin Brush, Melissa Brush Lodato, and many stepgrandchildren. Her sisters Lucille (Russ) Stanley, Sue (Jim) Stanley, Ruth Stewart, Brothers Ronald Halstead, James Halstead, Dan Halstead, Samuel Halstead, Bruce Halstead, Bob deceased (Betty) Halstead, Larry (deceased) Halstead Nephews Glenn (Beverly)Halstead, Mark(Lois) Halstead, Charles (deceased) Anita Halstead, niece Ethel (James) Tilton, and many more nieces and nephews.