Holbrook Williams

BROOKLIN, MAINE-Holbrook Williams, age 84, died peacefully on February 2, 2025, at his home in North Brooklin. He was born on April 20, 1940, in New York City. Education was important to his parents who were both teachers. He was a student at the Dalton School and Horace Mann School and graduated from Columbia Teacher's College.
Freedom was essential to him as he worked many varied jobs over the years in every state but Alaska, including taxi cab driver, teacher, carpenter, field survey researcher, and organic gardener. He spent many years on the Peninsula, having gone to Robin Hood camp as a child where both his parents were counselors. He permanently settled in their North Brooklin home in 1988. Folks who hired him, quickly became friends due to his intelligence, inquiring mind, and gentle nature. Holbrook's interests included vegetarianism, meditation and jazz, and he touched many lives through his involvement with the Morgan Bay Zendo, and his long-running WERU Jazz show, the Groove Shop, which he hosted for over 30 years. He was the first trumpet player in the Brooklin Band and cofounded the Blue Hill Big Band. His religious and spiritual needs were well served through his involvement with the Blue Hill Congregational Church, Friends/Quaker Meeting and his friendship with Rev. Sara Hayman of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth.
Among his many friends, he was known to posit improbable situations for further discussion or be the purveyor of jokes and riddles that involved interesting word play.
He was predeceased by his parents, Ruth Holbrook Williams and George Decker Williams, and his sister, Bronwyn Holbrook Williams. He greatly valued his relationship with his god-daughter, Robin Mendelson, his best friend, Parker Waite and friends Jack Burnett, Mark Tipton and Steve Greenberg.
WERU will be holding a two-hour memorial show to celebrate his involvement on Thursday, February 27, 6 to 8 p.m. acadiacremation.com.