Brent Reuben Brooks' Obituary
Brent Reuben Brooks was born on December 16, 1964 in Bemidji, MN. During his childhood his family lived throughout the Midwest, Colorado and Tennessee. He attended Sterling High School in Sterling, KS, and graduated in the class of 1983. In 1987 Brent graduated from the University of Kansas, where he was a midshipman battalion commander in the NROTC unit. He was commissioned a Naval officer in January 1988 and received a medical retirement in 1997 at the rank of Lt. Commander. During his Naval career he had the honor of being chosen to attend Naval Post Graduate School, where he received a Masters of Applied Science in 1994. He also served as combat systems officer and senior watch officer on the USS Hewitt. He received numerous awards including two Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, and a Navy Commendation Medal. Despite living with excruciating chronic pain due to head injuries suffered during his Navy career, Brent worked diligently to provide for his family. Immediately after leaving the military, he worked as a rancher in Kansas. In 2000, Brent and his family moved to Dallas, TX where he worked as an estimator for concrete construction companies. However, his love for animals led him to begin breeding Labrador Retrievers. Ultimately this led Brent to establish Brooks Labradors LLC, which produced “genetically sound, Labrador Retrievers with a classic build.” His desire to “enhance the safety and quality of life of people with disabilities” ultimately led him to expand his small business into breeding and training service dogs, including Diabetic Alert Dogs and companion dogs for disabled veterans. As a child, Brent became a committed follower of Jesus Christ. After moving to Dallas he began to explore his Jewish roots which led him to become active in a Messianic Synagogue. Tragically, the cumulative effect of more than twenty years of chronic physical pain resulting from injuries suffered during his Navy career combined with other life challenges, led Brent to take his own life on August 24, 2016. He is survived by six children, Elsa Brooks, Ardynn Brooks, Ava Brooks, Brody Brooks, Cody Brooks, and Davi Brooks; two sisters, Faith Brooks De La Cour, and Joyce Miriam Brooks; two nieces, two nephews, and two great nephews. He is also survived by his ex-wife, April Zahradnik. Preceding him in death were his mother, Carolyn Brooks, and his father Reuben Brooks. Brent’s passionate desire would be that all come to receive Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) as their personal Lord and Savior. In lieu of flowers the family requests that gifts be made to Operation Heal Our Patriots, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. Below is the link for the donation page on the Samaritan Purse site: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/in-memory-of/?source=/service.php/sp/memorialprototype/page.html/6ea65c4c-d8b5-4479-a72e-a09beb27aea0 Funeral service will be held on Monday, September 5, 2016 at 6 PM in the Memorial Chapel at Restland Funeral Home.
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