Kathleen Brooks
Kathleen Marie Elizabeth Brooks passed away peacefully at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland on Saturday morning, February 18, 2017 after battling numerous illnesses. She was 85.
Kathleen was born on December 16, 1931 on the upper Eastside of Manhattan, New York to Thomas F and Theresa Goode. The fifth of seven siblings, Kathleen grew up “in the tenements” during the height of the depression. Although her family was poor, “there was always a lot of love.”
Growing up, Kathleen attended Catholic school which gave her a strong faith and inspired her to dream of becoming a nun. As a young adult, Kathleen held numerous jobs – bakery clerk, theatre usher, and telephone operator, among others, prior to marrying William (Bill) Brooks and raising four children. Bill’s career in the Navy took Kathleen to Iceland, Jacksonville, Florida and Redding, California before he retired in 1968 and moved the family to the Seattle area, first Federal Way and later Redmond.
As a homemaker and mother, Kathleen was known for her big heart, generosity, well-stocked refrigerator and pantry and huge love of animals. She enjoyed taking care of her dogs Irish and Cedar, her parakeets and feeding the outdoor birds and squirrels; the squirrels with a huge bag of peanuts she always kept on her deck. After Bill passed away from cancer in 1999, Kathleen continued to live in the Redmond house and enjoyed reading, listening to music (especially Irish songs) and taking walks around the neighborhood and Grass Lawn Park with her beloved dog Charlie and often her grandkids in tow.
In 2013, Kathleen moved from the Redmond home to the Woodlands at Forbes Creek in Kirkland. Kathleen was known as the “Mother Theresa” of the community and would spend many hours reading the Bible and praying for others, especially her grandkids whose photos filled her apartment. In the words of her daughter, “She truly was an angel on this earth who dedicated her life to helping others.”
Kathleen is survived by her sister, Joan DesCoteaux, three children, L. Peter Brooks, Colleen Bagdon, and Heather Southard; grandchildren Sean and Erin Brooks, Tanner, Brady and Seiver Southard, Laura (Bagdon) Dickinson and Courtney Bagdon along with one great grandchild. She is preceded in death by her parents; sisters Mary, Margaret and Theresa; brothers Thomas and Joseph; her husband, William Brooks and son, Scott Brooks.
A private interment will be held at Kirkland Cemetery on Monday, February 27. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the animal charity of your choice.