sent in by Robert Thompson
Long time FSJ residents may remember the True Brew Coffeehouse on Ponce deLeon, before Fair Grinds. It was conceived and built by two people, Pat Wingerter and Denise Austin, who ran and operated the shop for a number of years. Pat died this weekend after a battle with cancer, a struggle he had several times before fought and won. I will remember him as a visionary (really forsaw the modern coffeehouse model), a world class tea expert, a teacher and mentor, and a kind and generous person. A gentle man, a vet, a diver, a computer instructor…in short – a renaissance man. He stepped in once when I was opening my venture and helped in an unforgettable way, and never expected a “thank you”. Of his many accomplishments, True Brew probably helped define this neighborhood “back in the day” and we all probably have benefitted from his many gifts…