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Wesley Lyle Brooks Nov. 1, 1953 - May 2, 2014 Wesley Lyle Brooks, 60, of Winston-Salem, passed away Friday, May 2, 2014 following a brief illness. Wesley (Wes to his friends), was born November 1, 1953 in Winston-Salem to Pleasant Asbury and Betty Fulp Brooks Jr. Wesley was a loving husband and father. He was the oldest of three children and an adored big brother and son. Wesley graduated from RJ Reynolds High School in 1972. At Reynolds and at Mt. Tabor High School, he was an outstanding member of the track and cross-country team. Wesley was a 1976 graduate of Appalachian State University with a BSBA degree, concentrating in Finance. Wesley met his wife, Debbie, at ASU. Wesley was self-employed as an accountant and a financial planner. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Mark Toomey and his sister-in-law, Sandi Brooks. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Deborah Frazier Brooks, his son Kenneth Brooks of Winston-Salem and daughter, Elizabeth Brooks of Raleigh. In addition, his sister, Cathy Brooks Toomey of Winston-Salem, his brother, Barry Brooks of Kernersville and his many nieces and nephews. Donations may be made in Wesley's memory to the American Heart Association. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.
Wes' wife, Debbie, graciously added the following:
Wes' death was unexpected. Wes had a heart attack April 13th, 2014. He was in the hospital for a week. The damage to his heart from the heart attack caused him to be in heart failure. He was at home recovering and looked to be making a full recovery. On Friday, May 2nd, he went to take a nap and passed away in his sleep.
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Gwendolyn Stanley (Forkin)
I am so sad to learn of Wes's passing. He was the glue that kept us together - we will surely miss him.
Harold Kyriazi
Sad, indeed. A painful reminder that life is short, and precious. A bit troubling that a long-distance runner seems to have died of heart problems at such a relatively young age. Deepest condolences to his family members and other loved ones.
Jim Ashburn
Wes has my vote as one of the best all around guys. He was smart, athletic, organized and had a great demeanor as well as a good sense of humor. In Mr Adams 1970 high school science the fad was playing desk football. You remember the triangular folded pieces of paper that would be flicked with a finger and a goal was part of the paper hanging over the desk edge.
The guys were so into it that they would rush into classs to play 3 minutes before the bell rang. After that, Mr Adams ran a tightly controlled disciplined classroom and allowed none of that. He would say " Allright class, time for class to begin; put away your silly games."
One time Mr Adams finshed 10 minutes early and told the class " You can have the remaining part of class in free time. Wes immediately responded with " Oh great, can we know play our " silly " games?"
This was indicative of his quick wit and humor which not indicative of all straight A students like Wes.
Hats off to you my friend. Wes. Thanks for putting together the class that never was, and organizing the reunions, and being a person who looked at the greater good for the group and not just himself.
- Jim Ashburn
Kenneth Hauser
Wes was my friend from Sherwood Forest, mt tabor and RJR. He was my taxman for both personal and business. We talked frequently about mt tabor days and how we were jilted out of our senior year. We had many sessions laughing about coach Hayes experiences. We had planned a dinner after tax season was over. I guess we'll have that dinner when we meet again. What a great friend. He is missed.
All God's Blessings to his family.
Ken
Dr. Fred Daniel
I always admired the tenacity, discipline and perseverance of Wes, particularly in his athletic prowess in long distance running. He was an inspiration! I will never forget his challenge to me to try cross country. I ran with him around the track, into the woods, down into a small stream - he left me in the dust as he flew up the steep embankment on the other side. My prayers are with his family. His departure is a great loss for us all.
Pam Cartner (Morris)
Wes was the our common link and brought us together after the local government tried to keep us apart. I enjoyed working with Wes on one of our reunion committees. In addition to being a friend and fellow student at Mt. Tabor, he was an excellent accountant. My husband and I will miss his expertise on our business.
(Mary) Roper Osborne (Halverson)
It is really hard to find the right words for Wes. He was engaging to all who were in his presence. He was a stellar athelete. I think we all felt, and still feel, a special bond for our years at Mt. Tabor. Wes and those who supported him on the committee have kept us together for long time. We had a chance to experience time at Mt. Tabor that others after us will never experence. And yes, the finality was taken away in 1971, but we were still victorious. The Class That Never Was will always live on and I thank Wes for his deep love and support of the memories we continue to make. Prayers and thoughts to Debbie and the family. This class is here for you should you need anything.
Gerald Morton, PhD
I have not followed this material on Mt. Tabor the way I feel I should, but learning of Wes' passing has motivated me to reconnect. We were not close friends but rather knew each other in passing. But he is a person I remember has having a special gentleness, a quality we value as the years pass more than we did as classmates. And then when I learned of the manner of his passing I was struck by our common humanity. I survied a massive heart attack at 47 but God allowed me a new life. From reading Wes' obituary and profile, he did not need one, although he deserved it, because the one he lived was so blessed.
Chris Clark
The connection between Wes and my family was interesting. He taught my wife how to do double entry book keeping before Sue and I married. While Wes wasn't my accountant but he did do my father in laws taxes. I found all of this out when he called the house to talk about a class reunion and he recognized my wife's voice when she answered the phone. Also his sister bought my parents house in Winston-Salem.
We will all miss Wes!
Carrol Iseley
Wesley Brooks was a nice person, and one with lots of interests. He did my taxes when I lived in Kernersville. My husband and he got to talking about jukeboxes, and Wes ended up being a source of 45's for ours. We last saw him years ago waiting for an art gallery to open so he could buy an original painting by our classmate John Furches. What a shock and how sad for us and especially his family to have him gone.