Audrey Brooks

She was born on September 5, 1938, to Forest and Viola Delong Still in Fairfield, Iowa. She was the youngest of 5 children. She was very close to her siblings and remembered fondly that her sisters would take her on dates and stepped in to fill the void of a small child missing her mother. She grew up in Iowa and later moved to Kansas City, Kansas, and settled in Kansas City, Missouri. She attended high school in Fairfield and when she moved to Kansas, she attended Turner High School. She met her husband in high school and married Bruce Brooks on November 6, 1953. They were married for almost 67 years before Bruce passed away in June 2020.

Audrey wore many hats in her career. She sold Avon door to door and worked at Speas Vinegar Company as a secretary. Later she would also sell Home Interiors and Mary Kay. While she worked at Speas she completed her GED and attended business classes and was promoted to the Office Manager position. She declined to relocate to Minnesota when the company was sold to Pillsbury in the 1980s. She then worked as a bookkeeper, retiring from Enzymes Inc. of Parkville, Missouri at the age of 70. She was well-loved by her co-workers and developed many close relationships.

Audrey also had many talents. She loved oil painting and enjoyed attending painting classes to improve her technique. She painted several paintings for her family and many more just for fun. She also loved to crochet and sew, making several clothes for her and her daughter, jewelry, several afghans, and doilies. She also loved to dance and both Audrey and Bruce square danced for many years. They Do Si Do-ed, Promenaded, and Sashayed into their fifties. They also loved to travel and traveled as far north as Alaska and as far south as the Caribbean.

Audrey was an exceptional mother and raised two children, Steve and Mary. She valued education and helped to support them to obtain higher education, Steve earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and Mary earned her Master’s in nursing leadership. She loved to attend their school and sports functions and later would do the same with her six grandchildren. Our family was always important to Audrey, and she loved being a grandmother.

Lastly, Audrey was a Godly woman who loved to serve at her church and teach Sunday school classes. She was very compassionate about her faith and loved sharing her faith with others. She was well known for her compassion, having a servant’s heart, and giving the best hugs.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bruce; father, Forest Still, mother, Viola (Delong), and siblings, Mary Louise Still (Leedy), Wilbur Still, Luetta Still (Williams), and Russell Still. Audrey is survived by her son Steve (Julie) Brooks; daughter Mary (Mike) Valverde; and grandchildren Candice Walker, Nathan Brooks, John (Nicole) Brooks, Matthew (Breeanna) Brooks, Brett (Jennifer) Booth, and Brooke (Collin) Ruth. She also is survived by eleven great-grandchildren and two 2nd great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. followed by the Funeral at 2:00 p.m. on April 16, 2022 at White Chapel Funeral Home & Cemetery, 6600 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO 64119. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Audrey’s life.

In place of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 262 Danny Thomas Pl, Memphis, TN 38105 or Winnwood Baptist Church at 4513 N Jackson Ave, Kansas City, MO 64117.