For Joy and Steve Brouwers, life has truly come full circle in Newtown Square. What began as childhoods filled with school days, neighborhood sports and familiar faces, has evolved into a family life deeply rooted in the same traditions, on the same streets they grew up loving. Now raising their two children just minutes from where they once walked to school themselves, the Brouwers have built a home that beautifully blends nostalgia, community and connection.
Joy grew up in Broomall, alongside her younger sister, Amy, and younger brother, Tommy. She attended Loomis Elementary, Paxon Hollow Middle School and Marple Newtown High School (MNHS), where she captained the cross-country and track teams, sang in the choir and appeared in every play and musical she possibly could.
Education and service have always been at the heart of Joy’s life. After graduating from MNHS, Joy went on to West Chester University to earn a degree in Special and Elementary Education, with a minor in Reading. There, she served as president of Best Buddies and The Abbe Society, and even worked as a Resident Assistant. She later earned her master’s in Special Education with a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders from St. Joseph’s University.
Today, Joy brings that same energy and care into her work as a second-grade teacher at St. Anastasia School, the very same school her husband attended as a child. “This is my sixteenth year teaching, and my second year at St. Annie’s,” she said with a smile. “I love working here because of the community, the parishioners, parents, students, teachers and clergy. My kids go here, too. Steve grew up going here, so it’s neat for him to see me teaching at his old school and to feel that sense of community come full circle.”
For Joy, teaching second grade is more than a job—it’s a calling. “I love making learning fun,” she said. “Second grade is such an important year, especially since the students receive two sacraments. It’s a really special time, and I feel so blessed to be such a big part of it.” Outside the classroom, she finds joy in simple pleasures. She is a self-described “holiday enthusiast,” making food art for every holiday and special occasion. In fact, a few of Joy’s “fintastic” Shark Week food creations were featured in our July issue. She also loves spending time with family and shopping locally at shops and boutiques such as Stile, where she even celebrated her birthday this year.
Steve, too, has deep Newtown Square roots. He grew up here with his parents, his older brother, Edward, and his younger brother, Andrew. A proud St. Anastasia and Archbishop Carroll alum, Steve enjoyed playing baseball, soccer and basketball before heading to Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, where he earned his accounting degree in 2010. At Penn State, Steve played on the club baseball team that finished second in the country twice, traveling across the U.S. to compete. “We played teams that didn’t have NCAA programs, like Colorado State,” he recalled. “It was such a great experience—not just for the competition, but the friendships and balance it brought to life as an accounting major.” He also laughed at some fun college memories: “I tutored a few basketball players who went on to play in the NBA and took a drawing class with a Finnish guy who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies.”
After college, Steve spent ten years with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a risk assurance consultant—a role that took him to 23 countries for both work and pleasure. “It was intriguing to see the world,” he said, “but Joy and I always knew we wanted to raise a family here.
Today, Steve serves as Chief Audit Executive at Quaker Houghton, where he leads global risk management initiatives. “I basically solve problems and proactively address risks with leaders across functions,” he explained. “It’s similar to what I did at PwC, but now I get to do it with less travel and more time with family. It’s a great balance.”
Outside of work, Steve is passionate about giving back. “I tell people it’s like I’m re-living my life now as an adult,” he said. He coaches for Newtown Edgmont Little League (NELL), Malvern League and MNSA, serving on the NELL board as well. “It’s so much fun seeing kids work together, socialize, and celebrate small wins. Baseball’s such a great mix of individual challenge and teamwork. I grew up playing at NELL, so being back there with my son brings everything full circle.” When he’s not on the baseball field, you can often find Steve golfing at White Manor Country Club with friends and colleagues—a pastime that, as he put it, “keeps you humble, healthy and always chasing the impossible.”
Joy and Steve’s story as a couple goes way back to middle school, though it was well before either of them knew what the future would hold. They first met in middle school, while Joy was at Paxon and Steve was at St. Annies. And while Steve insists he had a crush on Joy even back then, the timing wasn’t quite right. Years later, after college, fate stepped in when they both happened to be at the Manayunk Brew Pub one evening. “We exchanged numbers that night,” Joy recalled, “and the rest is history.”
Their engagement story is equal parts humor and heart. Steve proposed in Joy’s Drexel Hill home, a few days before her birthday. “I had given Steve a joking ultimatum that he had a year to propose—and that if it was near my birthday, the ring couldn’t be my present,” she laughed. “Then we were out shopping one day, when I saw this super expensive dining room table I wanted. I told him I’d take the proposal “off the table” if he bought the table instead.”
Fast forward to Joy’s birthday weekend. Her sister was in town from New York, and Joy, her sister and their mom went to get their nails done. “I told them I was going to get a football on my nail for the upcoming Eagles season, which meant brown nail polish with one nail having a hand-painted football design,” she explained. “Mind you, they both knew that Steve had planned to propose, but neither of them talked me out of it!” After returning home, Joy walked in the door, and that super-expensive table was in her dining room. “I tried to muster up being happy about it, but knew what that meant,” she said. “But to my surprise, Steve proposed to me at the table right then and there, with my brown football nails. So the table was my birthday present after all!”
Steve and Joy were married on July 25, 2015—“Christmas in July,” at St. Katharine of Siena Church in Wayne, with a reception at Paxon Hollow Country Club. Their honeymoon took them to Montego Bay, Jamaica, before they settled into their first home together in Drexel Hill. A few years later, they decided to start searching for their forever home. “We looked in Media, Berwyn, Newtown Square and Broomall, and ended up buying our home in 2018 when the market was tight,” Steve said. “We bought and sold in two days—it just worked out perfectly.” Now, their family life centers around the people and places that have always mattered most.
Eight-year-old Jack and six-year-old Rosaleigh, both students at St. Anastasia, keep life lively. Jack is an all-around athlete, playing basketball, baseball and soccer. He’s made the NELL tournament baseball team two years running and recently joined the Marple travel soccer team. “He’s kind-hearted, always considerate of others,” Joy said proudly. “He’s our math-loving, fun, go-with-the-flow kid who loves watching Kevin in Home Alone 2.” Rosaleigh, on the other hand, is a little spark plug. A talented singer and dancer, she takes ballet, tap and jazz dance classes at Angela Bates Dance Academy, and recently made the Company Dance Team. “She can memorize song lyrics after hearing a song once,” Joy said. “Our house is always full of music.”
The Brouwers’ family pets are quite a cast of characters—two cats, Gretchen Wieners, appropriately named after her “mean girl” personality when they first brought her home, and Tony, a pricey but underperforming for his breed, ragdoll cat; a pair of fish named Hotdog and Cheeseburger (courtesy of Rosaleigh’s creative naming skills); and two reptiles, Spartan the bearded dragon and Leo the leopard gecko—both class pets that commute with Joy to and from St. Anastasia.
Life in Newtown Square suits the Brouwers perfectly. Their home overlooks the Garrett Williamson Farm, a peaceful reminder of our area’s natural charm. “We love our view and hearing the animals outside,” Joy said. “It’s such a pleasant surprise we didn’t even realize when we bought the house.” They’ve lived there seven years now and enjoy the friendly neighborhood atmosphere. “Our neighbors are amazing,” Joy said. “When the kids were younger, we’d all trick-or-treat together. One neighbor’s daughter is even our babysitter now.”
For Joy, Steve and the kids, community isn’t just where they live— it’s how they live. Between Joy’s classroom, Steve’s coaching and the kids’ involvement at St. Annie’s and NELL, they embody what it means to be part of something larger than themselves. “We love living and working here in Newtown Square,” they say. “We feel so blessed to live in the same area where we grew up. It’s evolving, but we really appreciate the balance, preserving green spaces and history while adding modern places like new restaurants and shops. Keep the 4th of July parade alive, bring back Pints on the Square and maybe—just maybe—a much-needed hardware store!”
This Thanksgiving season, the Brouwers are especially grateful for the gift of community and the chance to raise their children in the same warm, welcoming place that shaped their own lives. For Joy and Steve, Newtown Square isn’t just home, it’s heritage. It’s where they grew up, where they fell in love, where they’re raising their children and where their roots continue to grow deeper with every passing year.
Know a Newtown Square family, individual or group who should be better known by everyone in our community? The Brouwers Family Thankful Hearts and a Happy Home CrissyEverhart.com Photo by Crissy Everhart Photography Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.