February 15, 1955 - May 10th, 2018
William “Will” Keith Brooks,
63, of Yuma, Arizona, passed
away at his home,
surrounded by family,
Thursday, May 10th, 2018,
following his battle with
cancer. He was born in
Yuma, Arizona, and the
youngest son of Billy Ray and
Joyce (Love) Brooks.
In 1975, he was married to
his high school sweetheart,
the former Julie Gresham, at
Morningside Baptist Church,
Yuma, Arizona. They have
two children.
He lived his life honoring God, his Country, and his
family. He was a selfless and humble man, who enjoyed
fishing, hunting, cooking, baking, and spending time
with his family.
Mr. William Brooks began his career with the former
U.S. Customs Service (USCS) in 1983 at the Port of
Calexico, California. During his more than 30 years of
service, he held many leadership positions, including
the Port Director at the Port of Andrade, California; the
Area Port Director at the Port of San Luis from 2007 to
2014; and the Acting Director, Field Operations, Tucson,
Arizona. Mr. Brooks’ last leadership role was as the
Director of Field Operations in Tucson from 2014 until
2017.
Prior to joining USCS, Mr. Brooks served for seven
years as a Deputy Sheriff for the Yuma County Sheriff's
Office. He attended Arizona Western College, majoring
in Criminal Justice.
Mr. Brooks helped create the Unified Cargo Processing
(UCP) where joint cargo inspections are conducted
simultaneously by CBP officers and Mexican Customs
on U.S. soil. This program began July 2016 and has
been implemented at most Arizona ports and throughout
the southwest border. He also initiated the future
expansion of UCP into the airport environment by
introducing the idea of unified processing of exported
merchandise destined to Mexico through the Mesa
Gateway Airport which is currently being coordinated in
Phoenix, Arizona.
He also pioneered the Joint Prosecutions Enforcement
Group (JPEG) where CBP officers are embedded at the
Homeland Security Investigations/ICE offices and assist
in case processing and investigations which has
resulted in an increase of prosecutions and additional
arrests.
He also spearheaded juvenile prosecutions by working
with the the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure they
received appropriate charges for their crimes versus the
historic slap on the hand.
Mr. Brooks was awarded the key to the City of Douglas
for his implementation of the Global Enrollment Center
(GEC) and the Trusted Traveler lane at the Port of
Douglas (Renamed:Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry).
Lastly, a street was dedicated in honor of Mr. William
Brooks for his contributions to the City of San Luis
community.
He leaves behind his beloved wife Julie; his son
Gregory Brooks of Chandler, Arizona; and a daughter
Leslee (Nathan) Boggs, of Yuma, Arizona. His
grandchildren, Tomi, Jacob, Leela, and Billy, as well as
his bonus grandchildren, Jonathan, Kaitlynn, and
Keston. He is survived by his Mother, Joyce Brooks,
and Mother in Law, Jane Gresham, both of Yuma,
Arizona. He also leaves behind a brother, Davie (Karen)
Brooks of Yuma, Arizona.
He was preceded in death by his Father, Billy Ray
Brooks, and his Father in Law, Olin Gresham.
Besides residing in Arizona, Mr. Brooks lived in Nassau,
New Providence, Bahamas, between 1985-1988 and
also Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, from
1988-1992.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1pm on Tuesday,
May 22nd at Church For the City, 3726 East County
13th Street, Yuma, Arizona, officiated by Pastor Tyrone
Jones.
A special thank you to Hospice of Yuma and two of his
private nurses, Rita and Martina of Apony, who cared
for him during his final days.
Please sign the guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/yumasun
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