John E. Brooks

John E. Brooks of Las Vegas, formerly of Ann Arbor, Mich. died Monday night at Mountain View Hospital surrounded by his wife Rita and family.   Born March 27, 1921, he was the youngest son of John Brooks, a Detroit Terminal Railroad brakeman and Nancy Geoit, great granddaughter of Canadian farmers who settled land in what later became the state of Michigan.  He was the youngest grandchild of Welsh immigrants.  John was a 1939 graduate of Plymouth High School, Michigan.  He married his high school sweetheart Ruth McQueston in 1940.  He began his profession as a mechanical engineer by working as a machine shop apprentice managed by his father in law.   Together they had four daughters. In 1943, John answered the call of his nation and enlisted in the U.S. Navy.  After the war, John returned to Detroit, Mich where his family continued to grow.  In 1951, John lost his wife Ruth to Hodgkins disease.  In 1952, John married Rita Nossal.  Together, they had six more children.  The large family built and lived in a large house in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  It wasn’t long before grandchildren began to arrive.  John was a busy family  man who not only found time to be a Boy Scout assistant scout master but enjoyed golf and was an active member in the local Elks Club.  John and Rita moved to Las Vegas in 2002.  John is survived by his wife Rita of nearly 61 years; daughters Joan Stefanko (Richard), Janice Waldren (Leroy), Jeanne Kyle (Dennis), Jill Fleek (Norman), Judy Sanchez (Ricardo); sons John (Linda), Jim (Karyn) and Jerry (Suzanne); 22 grandchildren, 32 great grand children and one great, great grandchild.