June L Brooks

June Lucille Brooks (Morris) was our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great -great grandmother. She passed peacefully at the Cottage in the Meadow Hospice Center at 10:55 on January 28th, 2017 from what doctors believe was end stage dementia with family at her side.

She was married to Fred Brooks Jr. who proceeded her in death in 1991, for 47 years. June is survived by her daughter Irma Maley who is married to Steve; her son Errol Wayne Brooks who is married to Diane; her daughters Stella Renee Schmidt who is married to Milo, and Tara Brooks Stockton who is married to Scott. Her daughter Carol Yvonne Jeffries proceeded her in death at age 50.

June's grandchildren are Sherry Wallace, Laurie Olson, Jolene Lakey, David Jeffries, Cody Pryor, Wayne Brooks, Michael Brooks, Brandon Brooks, Jason Schmidt, Mike Schmidt, Ryan Schmidt (step grandson), Shannon Morris, and Christina "June" Forderer, who preceded her in death at age 32. June's great grandchildren are Alisha Hermo, Wes Wallace, Zachary Wallace, Eric Wallace, Rick Olson, Brooke Guimaraes AJ Lakey, McKenzie Lakey, Bobby Lakey (step grandson) and Leah Lakey (step grand daughter), Lyndsi Greenwood, Abby Brooks, Zachary Brooks, Kerry Brooks, Casey Brooks, Owen Brooks, Kaidence Schmidt, Aaron Schmidt, and Kyra Morris. June also has 19 great-great grandchildren, and was expecting a great-great-great granddaughter in April of this year.

June was one of 8 children born in a small farming community in Haviland North Dakota. Her family left the farm to escape poverty and hardship brought on by the Great Depression and travelled west in a makeshift camper attached to her father's model A truck to find work in harvesting crops. The family settled in the Yakima Washington area in the early 1940s where her father George Morris, worked for the railroads fruit freight service. Her mother Irma Clafflin Morris was a home maker and dedicated Dorcas volunteer. June met and married Fred Brooks, Jr., a Merchant Marine from Hibbing Minnesota in 1944, in Yakima Washington.

In addition to being a homemaker and raising her children while Fred worked at Pacific Power and Light company, June was a professional musician who performed with Fred regularly at servicemen clubs in the Yakima area for many years. She (an organist and singer) and Fred (a drummer and singer) passed on their musical talents and instilled music appreciation in their children and grand children.

Fred and June also enjoyed their boat and fishing on Lake Mayfield and the San Juan Islands in Washington State, as well as salmon fishing in Westport, WA. After Fred's death, June began traveling by motorhome in the United States and continued until she was 75 years old. After successfully battling breast cancer at 75, June spent time with each of her children, until settling in Selah Washington on her daughter Stella's farm. She lived independently until her health began to fail in 2014. For the past three years she has lived with and been cared for by her daughter Stella and her husband Milo. Although forgetful at times, she remained vibrant and engaged in life until the last six months. She loved life and looked forward to every day bringing something new. She would have been 90 in March if this year.

June was a member of the Selah Adventist Church, and she was loved by all members. She also loved her dog Tammy, enjoyed arts and crafts, movies, music, being outdoors in nature, and eating good food! What she loved the most however, was spending time with her family. She was a feisty, funny, passionate, independent Christian lady who will be greatly missed by all. (Good night sweet June; we will see you in the morning!)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But I would not have you ignorant brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others do which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so also they which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are sleeping. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first! Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Comfort each other with these words."

At her request there will be no traditional funeral for June. Instead, there will be a celebration of life for her at the Oregon Coast this summer for family members, at a location and time to be determined by her personal representatives.