Brooks P. Coleman

1931 - 2019

BROOKS P. COLEMAN October 26, 1931 - September 22, 2019 Brooks passed peacefully at his home in Riverside from bladder cancer. Survived by his wife of 39 years, Jill; his daughters, Margaret (Barry) and Heather (Ryan); son, Bob (Cindy); three grandsons: Brooks, Joseph and Michael; three great-granddaughters: Brooke, Lily and Avery; siblings: John Coleman, Marian Schmitt, Paula Kane and Glenda Goulet. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Predeceasing him were his former wife, Patricia Failing Coleman (mother to Bob and Margaret); his brother, Bill Coleman; and his sister, Barbara Wackerman. He graduated from Mark Keppel High School, attended Pasadena City College, Bachelor of Music/UC Santa Barbara, Master of Education/Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Doctorate of Educational Administration/University of Southern California. He was a loyal Trojan fan and held faculty section season football tickets for several decades. He also was an adjunct professor at USC, teaching classes in Germany, Japan, Korea, Los Angeles and Riverside. He served in the United States Air Force as a member of the 562nd Air Force Band. Brooks worked as a professional musician, a school teacher, school principal, school superintendent. The last 20 years of his education career was with the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Office where, when he retired, he was the Associate County Superintendent of Schools. In 2011 the County Board of Education named it's Operational Support Center in his honor. Post retirement, he and Jill established California School Financial Services, Inc. He and several other experts in school finance provided consulting to school districts throughout California. During the last 30+ years he went back to music and as recently as one month ago was playing clarinet with some of his band buddies. He played in several traditional jazz bands in southern California, was a lifetime member of the Society for the Preservation of Dixieland Jazz and was president of that group for 6 years. He and Jill loved to travel and over time covered most of Europe, Asia and also parts of South America and Africa. A man of integrity, loving, kind, honest, loyal; he was loved very much and will be missed. Service will be private. Celebration of Life at a later date.