James Edmund Brooks, “Ed”, 81, passed away on September 28, 2019, peacefully in his sleep. He will be dearly missed. After many years of battling Alzheimer’s and dementia he is now free of a body and mind that were failing him.

He was born on June 16, 1938 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He loved the outdoors – fishing, hiking, and hunting. He was a lover of life – always up for a good time. He loved to cook and share meals with his family and friends – and he shared that enthusiasm with his family. Common phrases during meals included – “damn that’s good”, “oh hell yes” and “what are we cooking for [the next meal]?”. We grew up enjoying the outdoors with him – whether we went fishing or summer trips to Utah – we always made memories. He had a brilliant mind, working professionally as an electrical engineer, but he could also pick up a paint brush and paint beautiful pictures with ease.

He spent countless hours at art museums, many of which at Nelson-Atkins, sharing his and creating our, love for art. We were always listening to music - The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. He taught Theresa to box step on his toes to “When I’m Sixty-Four” and took her to her first concert, Pink Floyd, when she was 14. Annie and he were the best at road trips together – she was his co-pilot on many adventures. Eddie and he shared many memories on the water – fishing, boating, and enjoying each others company.

He was ornery and loved to tease. His signature move was “Do you want a little ear-a-tation?” and would proceed to poke and tickle our ears. We loved that as teenagers. 😊 He was always documenting our adventures with both video and pictures. There was a period during our childhoods that was spent behind the camera – even while driving the winding roads of the mountains of Utah, scaring the whole family.

In his later years, when his disease had progressed, he would want to share his chocolate milkshake or would briefly sing the lyrics to his favorite song, letting us know that he was still there.

He was loved by many, especially his family. He is survived by Patricia Jackson, his first wife of 24 years, his children and their spouses – Ed and Pam Brooks, Annie and Brannan Fish and Theresa and Scott Smid – and his three grandsons - Sam Stack, Jacob Brooks and Hayden Smid.
he is also survived by his sister Frances Merrill and many nieces and nephews in Salt Lake City.
Nora Brooks was his last wife and her and Ed had many great years together. Along with His stepdaughters and stepsons and grandchildren. His nieces and nephew in Colorado as well.

We all loved him so much.

Please join us to celebrate his life on Saturday, October 12th, from 3-7pm at 16510 W. 132nd Ct. Olathe, KS 66062.

His memory will live on during our family dinners, fishing trips, and we will forever honor his love for life.