Robert C. Brooks III

1953 - 2021

Robert C. Brooks III, born Aug. 11, 1953, to Alice Lyons Brooks and Robert Brooks Jr., died July 7, 2021, at age 67.

Bob was an attorney with a passion for the underdog. He spent most of his 35-year career in criminal defense, as an assistant federal public defender, and in private practice. He was the appellate attorney for several high-profile capital cases and believed strongly that despite the crime, the law had to be applied fairly.

He was a graduate of the University of Alabama, University of Memphis School of Law, and the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute, and he served on the board of directors of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for several years.

While the law was Bob's calling, his interests were varied and his intellectual curiosity guided him through his life. Without leaving his law practice, he spent a short time attending truck-driving school and was - for three trips - a long-haul truck driver just because he wanted to experience it.

He spent several years as a dedicated backpacker, frequently camping in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Ozarks with his children, backpacking with friends, sometimes alone and in all seasons; he and a friend endured a harrowing experience in the Ozarks during the blizzard of 1993. A favorite trip was a lengthy excursion with a friend through the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado. He found beauty and peace in nature, whether in the woods or on a Caribbean island.

He developed an interest in photography and spent several years shooting photos of the everyday and the unusual, around town, on weekend trips, and on longer trips; his eye was good and he sold some of his pictures when he held a couple of shows in Memphis.

He was, above everything, a man of integrity and purpose.

Bob's family was the most important aspect of his life. In 1981, he married Beth Buchwald and became stepfather to Vincil Bishop. His son Patrick Mathisen Brooks was born in 1983, and his daughter Wendy Lee Brooks was born in 1985.

Bob and Jennifer Biggs were married in 1995 and he became a loving father to Megan Biggs. Despite divorces, he remained close to his ex-wives.

He leaves his children and grandchildren: Patrick Mathisen Brooks of Memphis, Wendy Brooks Kuhn (Walt) of Austin, Vincil Bishop (Cristina) of Austin, and Megan Biggs Kendall (Jeremy) of Memphis. His grandchildren are Tierra Brooks, Julie Ann Kuhn, Jackson Oliver Brooks Kendall, Chloë Grace Kendall, Maribeth Bishop, Lilliam Bishop, and Vincil Bishop IV. He also leaves his brother John McMillan Brooks and his nieces Athena Wu Brooks and Alice Feagin Jones. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister, Alice Brooks Givens.

A memorial service for family and friends will be held at a private residence on Friday, July 16, at 4 p.m. For address and more information, please email jenniferbiggs@outlook.com.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the ACLU or The Innocence Project.