Samuel Brooks Jr.

1934 - 2016

1934 ~ 2016
Samuel Brooks Jr. passed away peacefully in Provo, Utah, on Monday, November 14, 2016, after a long battle with cancer. Sam was born November 22, 1934, in Sugarhouse, Utah, to Samuel and Winnifred Parry Brooks. He was a member of the South High class of 1954 and served an LDS mission to Australia from 1955 to 1957. Sam was sealed to Mary Carolyn Van Tussenbroek in the Salt Lake Temple in 1958. They were together ever after.
Sam was a complete family man. His first career was in the food services and hospitality field, followed by a second career in the funeral business with his friend Tom Sanderson. As director of food services at BYU Hawaii in the 1970s, Sam came to know and love students from all over the world, learning their names and even learning phrases from their native languages. He loved the people and places of Hawaii and returned many times after moving back to the mainland in 1976.
He loved his family's history and LDS Church history and the many ways they intertwined. He loved Hawaii, Australia, and Jerusalem. He never met a vanilla ice cream cone he didn't love, nor a tool on the side of the road that he didn't stop to pick up. He was faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ his whole life. His legacy is his family.
Sam was loved by many, who were drawn to his warmth, kindness and sense of humor. In the final months of his life, Sam was rarely alone, surrounded by family, friends, ward members and neighbors who visited him each day.
The Brooks family wishes to thank the many doctors and nurses at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, who gave Sam the gift of several more years with his family. The family also wishes to thank the many caregivers at Legacy Village, who treated Sam with tenderness and respect. And the wonderful people at First Choice Hospice.
Sam is survived by his wife, Carolyn (whom he introduced for 58 years as his "first wife" and who was untiring in her love and devotion to him), and children Peter (Wendy Bigler), Heidi Shelline (Stewart), Matthew (Elena Egbert), Timothy (Karin Hardman), and Joseph (Julianne Gardner). He has 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is finally home.
A viewing will be held on Sunday, Nov. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Walker-Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 E. 800 North, Orem. A viewing will also be held on Monday, Nov. 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Sharon Stake Center, 545 S. 800 East, Orem, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.walkersanderson.com.