Laurice was born and lived in Shreveport, Louisiana until the age of nine when his parents, Edwin B. (Sr.) and Josie Brooks, along with his siblings, made their new home in Seattle, Washington. He served in the U.S. Army and following his honorable discharge, for a time, resided in California before returning to Washington state where he remained for the rest of his life.
It was in Seattle, that Laurice met and married his wife of over 50 years, Betty M. (Edwards) and together they raised a family while living in Seattle and later in Maple Valley, WA. In January 2018, Betty passed away after a brief illness; a loss from which he never fully recovered.
Laurice was a long-time member of Rainier Temple (Seattle, WA) where he served as a deacon and later joined the NW Life Church (Renton, WA). He also dedicated much of his life to ministry in local nursing homes. Always excited to share his love for the Lord, he possessed a keen ability to recall just the right scripture for any topic of conversation. He was bold in his Christian walk and never lost his passion -literally to the very end of his life.
Laurice was equally passionate about his family - maternal, paternal and his own. There was never a time when his children would visit or call including up to the final days of his life, that he would not say, “Do you need anything?”. To them he is and will always be “Daddy”.
For many years, he worked diligently alongside his father in the family business, Brooks and Sons, for which he later assumed sole ownership until, many decades later, he could no longer perform physically demanding tasks; a work ethic he also instilled in his children.
Selfless, loving, generous, protective, encouraging, complex and many more adjectives describe Laurice but none entirely. He was unique and unfailing in whatever he committed to do. As one long-time friend shared: “He was a solid Man all around with a big loving heart for people”. That is the very definition of a hero.
After a long illness, Laurice died at home on July 27, 2020. He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Betty, his parents and three brothers (James, Edwin, Jr., George) and sons, Laurice, Jr. and Leonard. He is survived by his sister, Delores; his children: Alvin, Angela (David), Veronica (Mark), Josie and Laurice D. (Liesl), grandchildren Nikki, Romell, LaRhonda, Shanell, Ashley, Patrice, Kristen, Bryan, Charles Jr., Laurice M., Adin, several great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and friends who loved and admired him.
He will be interred with his wife, Betty, at Tahoma Military Cemetery.
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