Shirley Jean Brooks

January 5, 1936 - September 17, 2014

Born in Portersville, PA Shirley was the eldest of nine children of the late Howard and Pearl ( Schott) Watson. A 1954 graduate and valedictorian of Muddy Creek High School she met and married her classmate Richard Brooks, whom she chose because he always made her laugh.

Shirley and Richard were married for 58 years enjoying a long adventurous life full of laughter, three children, four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, dogs, cats, family road trips, relocations, handmade leisure suits, travel, and good times with friends and family.

Shirley was often found with a smile on her face and a book in her hand. Her love of language was apparent in the completion of a lifetime of crossword puzzles (done in ink), word power tests from the Reader's Digest, and reading thousands of books starting at age 4 (her dad was so proud) with the Dick and Jane books.

In 1971, the family moved from Pennsylvania to Tucson and 7 years later she and Richard moved to Phoenix. Shirley had a successful career as an account manager at Ferrell Gas and was instrumental in the success of Richard’s career at Shamrock Foods. After 18 years in Phoenix, Shirley was glad to retire to Tucson and spend her time enjoying her family and gazing at her beloved Catalina mountains.

Shirley was a joy filled woman who brought happiness to our life. Loving her family and friends was her success story. She will be oh so dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved her as her laughter and kindness touched many hearts. An essential value she taught us was to enjoy life and be ready to laugh especially at ourselves. "She gave us love, she made us laugh” is how she wanted to be remembered.

She is survived by her husband, Richard, her three children Roxanne, Valerie (Dan), Ryan (Terri), four grandchildren Brooke (Cory), Carly, Matthew, Zachary, and two great grandchildren Aspen and Cayden. We, her family, wish to thank all those who provided such compassionate care during Shirley’s illness; her Hospice nurse Stephanie, the staff at Arizona Oncology and especially Dr Jonathan Schwartz, M.D. whom she adored.

Shirley felt no child should go hungry so in lieu of flowers, she would rather you donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona (https://www.rmhctucson.org) or to the No Kid Hungry Organization (https://www.nokidhungry.org).

...and never let it be said, "She lost her battle to lung cancer." For any battle fought with courage, dignity, and grace is never lost, but serves as a lesson in humanity and inspiration to all.

~unknown

Arrangements under the direction of East Lawn Palms Mortuary, Tucson, AZ.