Charles Clifford Brooks

1922 - 2015

Charles Clifford Brooks, beloved father and grandfather, died Tuesday August 18, 2015. A native of Lexington, Georgia, he was the son of the late Robert Faust Brooks and Gladys Crawford Brooks. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 63 years, Olga Stephens Brooks, and by siblings R. F. (Bobby) Brooks, Jr., Thomas Crawford Brooks, Mary Brooks Smith, and Louise Brooks Brown.

Known to everyone as "Cliff", he attended the Meson Academy in Lexington, Georgia, Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, Emory University at Oxford and the University of Georgia, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Clifford served in the US Navy during WWII in the Pacific theater aboard the USS Karnes. Upon returning home from the war, he joined his father's Chevrolet dealership in Crawford and remained active in the dealership as long as his health would allow. While a dealer, he served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Automobile Association and was elected Chairman from 1986-87. He was also a Gulf Oil Distributor for the area and served on the Board of Directors for the Citizens Bank in Lexington and The Commercial Bank in Crawford.

Always influential in civic and business affairs, he served as a Deacon of the Lexington Baptist Church. He was a member of the American Legion Post 123 in Lexington, the Oglethorpe County Civic Club, where he was selected Man of the Year in 1963, the Historic Oglethorpe Society, and Oglethorpe County Rotary Club. A lifelong supporter of UGA football, he was a member for many years of the Athens Touchdown Club, where he served on their Board of Directors and a member of the Gridiron Secret Society.

His community service also included serving as a member of the Oglethorpe County Board of Education, the Meson Academy Board of Trustees, and he was instrumental in the creation of the Crawford-Lexington Medical Center. His Brooks Foundation gave scholarships for many years to the top graduates of Oglethorpe County High School. He will be remembered for his lifelong contributions and dedication to making Oglethorpe County a better place.

He is survived by his children, Anita (Bobby) Cook of Crawford, Georgia, Robbie (William) Paine of Statham, Georgia and Chuck (Patti Zettek) Brooks of Lexington, Georgia. Other survivors include his grandchildren Jason (Anne Marie) Paine of Asheville, North Carolina, Robert (Staci) Cook of Watkinsville, Georgia, Charles Clifford Brooks III of Jasper, Georgia, Brad Cook of Gainesville, Georgia and Justin (Lee) Brooks of Atlanta, Georgia. He is also survived by great-grandchildren Charlie and Davis Brooks.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday August 21st at the Lexington Baptist Church, Lexington, Georgia. The family will receive friends from 10-11 AM prior to the service at the church. Pallbearers will be the grandsons and lifelong family friends Bill Cunningham, Bob Cunningham and John Dry. Interment will follow at Clark Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Clark Cemetery Fund, c/o Lexington Baptist Church, P.O. Box 103 West Church Street, Lexington Georgia, 30648.

Lord & Stephens, EAST, is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com 2/4/1922 - 8/18/2015