William "Dick" Richard Brooks

If your children all happen to be antique Ford automobiles, or if your hobby is building and flying remote control airplanes… then you might have known William Richard “Dick” Brooks.

Dick passed away peacefully on March 5th, 2024, he was 89 years young.

Dick was a one-of-a-kind enthusiast of all things, but had a super fascination with Hot Rods, especially early model Fords, and spent a lifetime acquiring, rebuilding, and restoring an amazing collection of classic cars. His enthusiasm for showing and talking about cars started in High School when he acquired a 1940 Deluxe Chop Top Custom, a car he worked hard on to restore and rebuild before he could even drive it legally. This car is still in the record books for running 150mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1958. This car was his pride and joy and started a passion with Hot Rods that carried on for a lifetime. Between collecting and restoring old Ford cars, Dick also had a passion for flying. After High School, Dick volunteered for the Navy and became a communications specialist serving on multiple flight crews during his 32-year Naval career, a career which took him all over the world, from transporting soldiers and officers to their stations, to rescue and evacuation airlift missions. After his honorable discharge, Dick continued to serve in the Navy as a Retired Reservist until 1995. During this time Dick became an auto mechanic at a VW dealership where he spent 32 years of Fahrvergnugen. It seems that the meticulous nature of building, tinkering, repairing, and restoring was in his blood! The mechanic and flight engineer in him led Dick into a hobby that combined both passions, building and flying remote controlled aircraft. He passionately, and with meticulous detail, built by hand these small aircraft out of balsa wood and took to the sky with Flying Clubs all around the Seattle area. He loved teaching and showing children how to build these RC planes and they had special permission from Boeing to fly their RC planes in one of the large hangers in Everett. Dick filled his time with flying RC planes, restoring antique cars and he loved his work at VW. He also continued to be involved in communications as a Ham Radio Operator, spending some time doing commercial radio broadcasts. Dick also loved boating and had a great love of his Yacht, the Maureen, a 1928 all wooden 48-foot vessel, which is still part of the Seattle Yacht Club Classic Yacht Registry. He spent many hours on the Puget Sound with family and friends aboard the Maureen and legend has it that this Yacht may have been the reason Dick never married!? That’s another story for another time!

Dick is predeceased by his nephew Greg, whose wife Amanda continued to work in a loving and supportive role in his later years. Dick is survived by his sister Janice Marillyn Norwine and her 4 children and their spouses; Douglas (Gigi), Valerie (Bill), Bryan (Amy) and Clifton (Michelle) as well as many other nieces, nephews and great somethings…

At his memorial service, we are honoring those who served, by having full military veterans funeral honors. As we celebrate Dicks life and his adventures at Evergreen Memorial on April 29th at 1pm in the afternoon.

A reception at his home 404 5th Street in Mukilteo following the service, all are invited!