Geneva E Brooks

Merritt Funeral Home

Geneva was born to Adam Dames and Bera Pearl Campbell in Ada, OK, the youngest of three. Even with very limited education she was an avid reader and self-taught businesswoman. After the death of her mother at a young age, she survived the Depression by babysitting and doing house and farm labor. She met her husband, a young Longview, Texas boy, Addie B. Brooks, and married him 14 days later on June 14, 1937; they were married 52 years. The first few years at the end of the Depression were very difficult. Their first child, a daughter, Alice Faye was born in 1938 followed by a son, David Allen in 1941. After World War II began they learned there were good jobs out in California in the shipyards. They packed their car and moved out to Richmond, CA where they got jobs in the Kaiser shipyards. Geneva was certified as a welder in May 1943. She was very proud of her work on the Liberty ships that came off her line. They returned to Longview in 1945 where their last child Michael Thomas was born. After the war the family worked as migrant farm laborers, but still made time for lots of fun. The family lived for many years in the Troutdale, OR area. They finally settled in the Yakima Valley near Wapato, WA in 1959. Her husband Addie passed in 1989 and in the last few years she lived with her daughter and best friend in Harrah, WA. Geneva was preceded in death by her son David and granddaughter Dixie, she is survived by children Alice Philbrick and Michael Brooks, grandchildren Sherry Philbrick, Geneva Loynes, Elaine Brooks, Daniel Brooks, Douglas Brooks, David Brooks, Heather Brooks, Angela Noel and Misty Braswell as well as 19 great grandchildren and numerous great-great grandchildren. A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 5, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at Merritt Funeral Home in Wapato. She will be laid to rest by her husband’s side at Reservation Community Memorial Park. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. To share a memory of Geneva, please go to merrittsfuneralhome.com.