Mary Lou Brooks

Happy Birthday M.L.!!
For years we shared our May birthday celebrations! When we wrote and directed the Law Revue for the Legal Beagles of the Twin Cities, we, along with Ronnie M. celebrated our birthdays together.
This year I raise a glass of something bubbly to you and pray that you are celebrating in heaven.

My Dear Miss Lou:

What a treat it was for her to be my very dear friend. Always had some kind of mischief going on to entertain me. I loved it when we were at Fingerhut and she was offering me her latest chocolate delicacy. I never thought chocolate covered potato chips would ever be a combination! Wow were they. And we could travel the world by chocolate: Belgium, Russia, Etcl

She was honest, caring, lovable and a great friend. And so much fun to work with.
...

Mary Lou,
You and I competed so long with Klobuchar that even he thought that you and I were mother and daughter.

Our competition is over. We sure had a good time with those Klobuchar articles.

I am still writing to the newspaper whenever I get inspired. And lately I have been back in the news...I miss your smiling face.

I know you are making article subjects for some columnist up in heaven--with your funny stories.

I miss...

January 25, 2005
Mary Lou and I met during Rush Week at the University of Nebraska. We lived in the same dorm, Raymond Hall, and spent lots of time and some classes together. Mary Lou's mom had just passed away and she was devastated. We both pledged Gamma Phi Beta and were comrades from the start. I still tell my Spanish classes about the time she and I signed up for an advanced nighttime Spanish class because it sounded easy and didn't meet too often. We got to the class and our...

I knew Mary Lou best in the 1980s when we both lived at 909 Summit Ave., a building in south Minneapolis that was plagued by bats. We were both freelancers then, earning incomes in the mid four digits, and we gave each other moral support and tips for survival. Her car at the time was named "Big Rust," and she gave it an eloquent tribute at its demise.

The 1983 show Patty Meshbesher mentioned, "Fashions in February," is one I recall, although I didn't attend. One day when I...

I was so, so sad to hear of Mary Lou's passing just this morning. What a dear and wonderful person she was to me!

I met Mary Lou in 1985 when she worked at New Homes Magazine and I was a junior in college interning there. Mary Lou took me under her wing and was a wonderful mentor and became a lasting and true friend from then on.

And what wit! And wonderful insights. So sharp, yet wonderfully kind and sincere. She will be sadly, sadly missed.

I found this photo of Mary Lou when she was modeling in our Fashions of the Fat and Fabulous (yes, that is what they were...and what we were.) We worked more for the food than for the pay since it took place at Mama Dee's and she always fed us. We got very glammed up on a few Saturday afternoons and had a ball. As you can imagine, Mary Lou added significantly to the comedy element.
P.S. I am 100% positive that she had a glass of wine in the other hand.

Dear sweet and sassy MLB -- oh, what a great lady you are!

In your short time on this planet, you touched so many lives -- you truly made the world a better place... Your warmth, wit and wisdom are gifts I treasure, and will live on in my heart forever.

I will never forget your smiling Irish eyes, your love of Kinky Friedman's writings, and your fondness for chocolate covered potato chips and Vietnamese pancakes -- from the Vina of course!

What a...

My dear Mary Lou, was one of the very brightest spots in our lives. Her consistent and spontaneous humor was the best. I had the great pleasure and honor of working with her closely in projects from writing press releases to a full blown variety show, which we wrote and directed together. We managed to get 50 lawyers to get somewhat in line and remember what to say and when to say it. Pretty good, I'd say.

I'll cherish those moments and the way she made it so easy to work hard...