Jake Brewer, the chief policy advisor to White House Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, was killed in a charity cycling accident Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Authorities told the
Washington Post that Brewer, 34, appeared to lose control of his bike in a sharp curve in the Ride to Conquer Cancer and crossed a double yellow line before colliding with an oncoming vehicle.
Brewer's wife, conservative commentator Mary Katherine Ham, posted a tribute to him on Instagram Sunday.
We lost our Jake yesterday, and I lost part of my heart and the father of my sweet babies. I don't have to tell most of you how wonderful he was. It was self-evident. His life was his testimony, and it was powerful and tender and fierce, with an ever-present twinkle in the eye. I will miss him forever, even more than I can know right now. No arms can be her father's, but my daughter is surrounded by her very favorite people and all the hugs she could imagine. This will change us, but with prayer and love and the strength that is their companion, we can hope our heartache is not in vain-- that it will change us and the world in beautiful ways, just as he did. If that sounds too optimistic at this time, it's because it is. But there was no thought too optimistic for Jake, so take it and run with it. I will strive and pray not to feel I was cheated of many years with him, but cherish the gift of the years I had. In a life where nothing is guaranteed, Jake made the absolute, ever-lovin' most of his time with all of us. This is a family picture we took a couple weeks ago. It was taken because Jake, as always, was ready with a camera and his immense talent. All four members of our little, growing family are in it. I can never be without him because these babies are half him. They are made of some of the strongest, kindest stuff God had to offer this world. Please pray that he can see us and we'll all make him proud. God, I love him. Psalm 34:18, Philippians 1:3
A photo posted by Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammertime) on
Lori Brewer Collins, Brewer's mother, told the Post that her son was participating in the fundraiser for a close friend who was suffering from cancer.
"(Brewer) lived life large and tended to live life for other people,” she said of her son.
President Barack Obama offered condolences to Ham and the Brewer family in a White House
statement.
"We set out to recruit the best of the best to join their government and help us harness the power of technology and data to innovate new solutions for the 21st century," Obama said in his statement. "Simply put, Jake was one of the best. Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them."
Brewer worked with the White House Office of Science and Technology and oversaw efforts to connect the country's technology assets to the administration's effort to improve the economy, said the White House.
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