Rev. Ernest H. Brooks, age 53, of Winchester, Illinois, died Friday evening, July 14, 2006 at the Springfield Memorial Center. He was born December 23, 1952 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, the son of Harold and Violet Severson Brooks. He married Tammy Mulder, December 28, 1981 at Grace Lutheran Church in Omro. She survives in Winchester, Illinois.
Also surviving is one son, Justin Brooks of River Forest, Illinois; his mother, Violet Brooks of Shawano; two brothers, Ken (Barb) Brooks of Manitowoc and David Brooks of Shawano; one sister, Sandi (Jack) Hayter of Kempner, Texas; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. His father, Harold Brooks, preceded him in death.
Rev. Brooks graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1976, from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, and the Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He was currently the pastor of the Bluffs Trinity Lutheran Church, the Winchester Lutheran Church and the Emmanuel Luther Church in Honey Point, Illinois. Before coming to Scott County, he served as minister of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Edinburg and the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Addison, Illinois. Before becoming a reverend, Ernest worked as a funeral director for several years. He was an avid Green Bay Packers football fan.
Visitation will be held at the Omro Funeral Home, on Thursday, July 20, 2006 from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., with the funeral service to follow at 3:00 p.m. Burial will follow in the Burdick Cemetery in the Town of Rushford. Funeral services in Illinois will be held on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. with visitation from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service, at the Trinity Lutheran Church near Bluffs, Illinois. Memorials are suggested to the Leukemia Society.