Walter Emmett Brooks

Bud was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from Northside High School. He also attended San Antonio College.

He started his lifelong career in some welding supply businesses in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. During that time, he married and adopted his son, Justin Brooks. The family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, and eventually back to Texas, where Bud helped establish and was part owner of Texas Welding Supply Co. in Austin, Texas.

He loved to travel for business and pleasure and often reminisced about his many trips. Bud’s favorite vacation spot was undoubtedly the Hawaiian Islands, where he developed his love for macadamia nuts. He frequently received gifts from family members that included various forms of macadamia nuts, and the expression on his face was lip-smacking pure joy.

In reality, Bud loved all food. The spicier, the better! He even cooked on occasion, including his grandmother’s favorite taco recipe.

Bud also enjoyed adventurous outdoor sports. In his younger days, he had a special love for fast machines that progressed from go-carts, minibikes, and racing cars to speed boats and snowmobiles, which provided much enjoyment. Bud also enjoyed hunting and had admirable knowledge and appreciation for antique guns. He loved all types of cars and trucks, old and new, and could discuss many models and features in-depth. In addition, he loved airplanes and even took flying lessons, which allowed him to take sightseeing trips with friends and business associates that he would reminisce about for many years.

Bud shared many of these stories at family gatherings, over card games, and good food. Bud was the family pie man, seeking out and purchasing the best pies for holiday gatherings. He enjoyed pie to the very end of his life, with his last meal consisting of cherry pie, which brought a smile to his face.

Throughout his life, he loved dogs, and later in life, he discovered the joy of cats, too. He rescued his cat, Frank, who became a great companion in the last eight years of his life.

Bud frequently attended Methodist churches across southern Texas in a show of support for his niece Barbara’s ministerial career. He also enjoyed attending Parkhills Baptist Church for the last three years of his life, where he was admired for his impeccable wardrobe and pleasant personality.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Morton Brooks and Lorraine Sprinkle Brooks, as well as his brother-in-law, Phillip Owen Fruin. He is survived by his son, Justin Lee Brooks, and grandchildren, Jacquelyn Louise Grace Brooks and Daniel Robert Lee Brooks. He is also survived by his sister, Carolyn Brooks Fruin, who deserves special recognition for being his caregiver for over three years, ensuring he had the best quality of life in his final years. He is also survived by his nieces, Pastor Barbara Dyke (Rick Dyke) and Betty Fruin, as well as his great-niece, Nicole Menchaca.

Memorial ServiceFriday, April 12, 202412:00 pmPorter Loring Mortuary North2102 N. Loop 1604 E, San Antonio, TX 78232