John Larue Brooks

John Larue Brooks, of Carmel, Indiana, passed away on February 18, 2026. He is survived by his wife, Sue Stephenson, his daughter Lori (spouse Joachim) Klima, his son Andrew (spouse Lori Brooks), his grandchildren Caroline Martin (spouse Kyle Martin), Alex Brooks (fiancee Chloe Keller), Justin Jonasch (fiancee Julia Hewitt), and Conrad Klima, and his great grandson Peyton Martin. He is also survived by his stepsons, John Stephenson, Jr., and Edward Stephenson, his niece Beth Rehbein, and his cousin Harris Estep. He was predeceased by his first wife Ruth Brooks, his daughter Rebecca Brooks, his parents Dorothy and Everett Brooks, and his siblings Pansy Rehbein, Carl Brooks, and Gilbert Brooks.

John was born in Peru, Indiana, on March 20, 1935, and grew up in Michigan City, Indiana. There, he started working early, as a pinsetter at age 8 and later delivering bread on his bike. He attended Elston High School where he played on the football team and he was proud to say he did both offense and defense. After graduation he joined the Marines. He was stationed at TwentyNine Palms in California where he worked on radio transmissions. After his enlistment ended, he came back to Indiana and enrolled in Indiana University where he majored in business. He met his first wife Ruth there and they got married after he graduated. They built a family of their three children and moved a bit around the Midwest as John moved up the corporate ladder as a successful sales manager of business products. The family settled in Olympia Fields, Illinois. John dabbled in painting, loved to read, and was a staunch supporter of IU basketball.

A few years after his first wife Ruth passed away, he reconnected with his high school sweetheart Sue and a couple years later, they married. He then moved down to Athens, Georgia, where she lived and he enjoyed his retirement there. They did cultural things at the university and enjoyed movies, politics, and dining out. They traveled quite a bit to places throughout the US and Europe, such as Alaska, Venice, and Normandy. In the past year, with his health declining, he moved up to Carmel to be nearer to his children. John loved following the news and history. He was especially conversant on World War II in the Pacific. All his life he loved animals, especially his cat Wolfgang and his dog Abigail.

A memorial service will be held at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, March 21, at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marine Corps League Athens (https://marinecorpsleagueathens.com) or the Humane Society of Athens (https://athenshumanesociety.org).