Thomas Brooks

Thomas L. Brooks, 79, of Bettendorf, Iowa passed away on Saturday, December 29, 2018 at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, in Bettendorf.

Funeral services to celebrate the life of Thomas will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, January 3, 2019, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 3:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf. Burial will take place at Davenport Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bettendorf Lions Club or to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf.

Thomas was born on November 15, 1939 in Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Walter and Josephine (Hessel) Brooks.  He graduated from Rock Island High School and Western Illinois University.  On October 5, 1963, Tom was united in marriage to Sharon Bandy at St. James Lutheran Church in Bettendorf.

Tom retired from the Rock Island Arsenal after thirty –four years of service with the Department of Defense, which included an assignment in Nuremburg, Germany from 1978 to 1982.

Tom could fix almost anything and in retirement, opened a “Handy Man” business.  Additionally, he became a Red Cross volunteer and was part of the recovery efforts for several national disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.  He was a member of the Bettendorf Lions Club for over 40 years, a skilled woodworker, an avid tennis, golf and pickleball player, and was an original member of the QC Pickleball Club.

Tom was a charter member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf and was an active member for the entire history of the church to this day.  He was known for his dry sense of humor and his love of chocolate.  When you look up “chocoholic” in the dictionary, you will find Tom’s picture.  Tom immensely enjoyed time with family, especially going to his grandchildren’s activities.

Thomas is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Sharon; his daughters, Teresa Pangan, Lisa (Brian Rashka) Brooks, and Melissa (Mark) Clemons, all of Bettendorf; sons, Todd (Ronnie) Brooks of Rock Island, Illinois, and Christopher (Teresa) Brooks of Trophy Club, Texas; nine grandchildren; his niece, Dawn (Ernie) Kelley of Lehigh Acres, Florida; and his nephew, Jeff (Claudine) Smit of McPherson, Kansas.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Jo Smit and his nephew, Steve Smit.