Amy Marie Brooks

IRMO - Amy Marie Brooks, age 85, passed away peacefully on the morning of October 28, 2022. She was a beloved sister, aunt, and friend whose good humor and vital spirit will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Amy enjoyed life and all who knew her appreciated her substantive knowledge, steadfast independence, and perceptive observations. She was a genuine person whose authenticity always shone through.

Born in Gastonia, N.C. on January 8, 1937, Amy Brooks was the daughter of the late James Wiley Brooks and Ola Melton Brooks. Amy received her undergraduate degree from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) with a degree in Spanish, followed by an MA in Spanish literature from the University of Georgia. After teaching at UNC-Charlotte for a few years, she did doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky. Amy had several positions during her career as a Spanish teacher, including the University of South Carolina, Lower Richland High School, and Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia. She also sold real estate for a brief time.

Amy’s love of the arts and humanities extended well beyond her career as a Romance language specialist. If she had not taught Spanish, Amy said that she would have wanted to be a writer or an opera singer. She was a regular visitor to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and frequently attended concerts and plays in Columbia, amassing a huge collection of playbills which she kept as mementos. She had a wide and sophisticated musical taste which encompassed orchestral and chamber music as well as opera. Amy was also a movie buff. Her comprehensive knowledge of the silver screen began accumulating as a teenager when she went to the movie theater regularly with her sister Martha. She never tired of rewatching those old movies and could recall plots and casts from vast numbers of films. She especially enjoyed film noir and classic musicals on Turner Classic Movies. Besides cultural interests, Amy kept busy with regular games of Bunco, with hosting duties rotating among friends, and would always catch any major tennis tournament or Atlanta Braves game on television.

Amy loved to socialize and thrived on fellowship with others. She would happily spin tales for hours about myriad subjects, but especially her upbringing in Gastonia and family lore, punctuating her stories with laughter and wry asides. She was never timid about expressing exactly what she felt about current events, people, or political issues. From topics consequential to the mundane, Amy was a voluble and gregarious conversationalist, but also adept at the well-chosen pithy remark, often accompanied by a raised eyebrow, that went right to the heart of the matter.

Amy always cherished family connections and acted as the de facto family historian. She was thankful for the values instilled in her by her parents. She was an integral part of the lives of her two siblings and her six nieces and nephews, whom she adored and whose lives she took a keen interest in. It was a Christmas tradition for her to visit her sister Martha’s house every holiday. Brooks family reunions were always a highlight for her. Amy felt equally fortunate to enjoy a large and loyal group of friends, some of whom entered her life during her university days. These decades-long relationships were absolutely central to Amy’s existence and helped form the person she was.

Amy is survived by a sister-in-law, Jo Anne White Brooks; six nieces and nephews, Wiley Truett Brooks, Jr., Diane Brooks Hogan, Leslie Joan Brooks, James David Brooks, James Franklin Giles, and Amy Giles Howard; eight great-nieces and nephews, Evan Brooks, Erin Brooks, David Brooks, Patrick Giles, Henry Giles, Owen Howard, Samuel Howard, and Lily Howard; and devoted friends Elizabeth Joiner, Buford Norman, and Lee Hardman, among many others. She was predeceased by a brother, Wiley Truett Brooks, and a sister, Martha Brooks Giles.

A celebration of Amy's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 15, 2023 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. In remembrance of Amy’s life, contributions may be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) or the charity of your choice.