Brooke Ann Yanuzis

To Brooke Ann Yanuzis, the entire world was a stage. An expressive, optimistic, and uninhibited individual, she was a performer in the theater of life. Brooke really mastered the art of living and had great fun in doing so. Brooke was born on March 29, 1990 at Southern Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida as a preemie to parents John Liles and Teresa Howe while they were stationed in Kings Bay, Georgia with the Marine Corps. She only weighed 3 ½ pounds but it was apparent from the beginning that Brooke was a fighter and had a strong will for life. At the age of 2, Brooke moved to Las Vegas and this is where she would call home. She was raised to be warm, caring and friendly. She couldn’t help but capture everyone’s attention. Either it be with her sassy personality or her willful defiance, she succeeded in entertaining her entire family.

Brooke was raised with four siblings. Two sisters; Courtney and Maeson, and 2 brothers, Johnny and Tyler. Being the oldest of five, Brooke was extremely protective over all her siblings and loved them unconditionally. Although not having children of her own, this umbrella of protection served her nieces and nephew well, where she continued that love and affection as the best Auntie ever to Aurora, Wesley and Nessie.

All of Brooke's playful good humor carried over into her childhood. She possessed a lively imagination and a mellowed enthusiasm for life. As a result, Brooke experienced a rather active childhood, and this suited her well. She was a member of Choir and Nevada Ballet Theatre. In her spare time she loved music, the piano, reading books and singing (even when she should have been silent). Brooke's memorable achievement included being the first graduating class of Legacy High School. She worked very hard to accomplish this achievement and was very proud of herself. It could be said that for Brooke, grades may not have been the most important thing to her, but she really did enjoy her school experience. Her favorite class in high school was Choir and the teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was her Choir Teacher.

Brooke simply enjoyed others’ laughter and the sounds of her friends and acquaintances having a good time. Once she held you in her graces, you were most important and loved. Her heart was huge and she found joy in making those she loved happy. Brooke was sweet, kind and took great care of the ones she loved. But she was also unapologetically herself.

Brooke never actually encountered a stranger in her dealings with people. She was drawn to individuals and crowds, using her gregarious, adaptable personality to captivate her audience. This quality allowed Brooke to continually develop new relationships, ever widening her circle of friends. Brooke delighted in her role among all her acquaintances, because she viewed them all as potential spectators for her life performance. Whether it was a story, a joke, a song or just plain fooling around, Brooke was always right at home putting on a show among her friends. Brooke utilized her interest in others as a great way to connect with them. While growing up, some of her best friends were Ashley and Kristina. Later in life, she gained new friendships with Nikki, Brittney and Erin, among many others. Brooke loved sharing life and being surrounded by the friends she called her family.

The gift of being emotionally expressive and outwardly affectionate made Brooke very easy to approach. Brooke met her future husband at 15 years old, on MySpace of all places. This meeting culminated into a life long love of Andrew William Yanuzis and the two exchanged wedding vows at the City Courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 14, 2012. As in all relationships they had their ups and downs but it was always apparent Brooke loved Andrew unconditionally, as he did her.

Brooke was employed as a front desk reservationist for a hotel as well as working at South West Ambulance before her primary occupation as a caregiver for her grand parent’s in-law Joyce and Ted. Because she spent all of her time with Joyce, she became her best friend and confidant. There wasn’t anything Brooke wouldn’t do for Joyce and it devastated her world when she lost her in February. We are confidant their reunion was joyous and the 2 of them are flying high together as we speak.

Brooke enjoyed her leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. An “arts and crafts” type, Brooke liked creating and making things. Her favorite pursuits were music, makeup, reading fantasy books, camping and binge watching Netflix. Though she loved camping, she hated insects, bees in particular. She even broke her ankle running from those darn bees once. Her favorite vacations included a trip to Catalina Island, Disneyland with her family and any and all road trips.

Brooke was a lover of animals and cherished her pets, enjoying them almost as much as she enjoyed being around other people. One of Brooke's favorites was her bloodhound dog Precious. They were best friends for 8 years and she was heartbroken at her passing. Brooke’s 3 dogs and a cat rounded out her family.

Brooke passed away on January 1, 2020 at Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is survived by her husband, Andrew; her father and stepmother, John and Tanya Liles; her mother, Teresa Howe; her sisters and brothers, Courtney Liles, Johnny Liles, Maeson Liles and Tyler Otto; her grandmother, Marilyn Beloate and step grandpa Jim Beloate and a host of extended family members and friends stretching across the country.

Brooke loved to have a good time and loved to share her energy, wit, and her zest for all of her activities with her friends and family. Brooke Ann Yanuzis lived life to her fullest and made everyone around her happier just for knowing her. Her laugh was contagious, memorable and will be missed tremendously. Brooke will always be in the hearts of everyone who loved her and will be remembered with a smile.