Eleanor Louise Brooks

Eleanor Louise (Gertridge) Brooks, 96 passed away peacefully at home on Monday, June 22, surrounded by the love of her family, after a long and well-lived life. She was the widow of Thomas M. Brooks Jr. whom she shared nearly 72 years of marriage.

Born October 7, 1929, to Harry Drury, Gertridge and Dorothy Jesse (Pomeroy) Gertridge she lived her entire life in South Dartmouth. Growing up in Padanaram, a proud Girl Scout Mariner, she loved that little village and would often tell stories of forgotten soda counters and storefronts. She Graduated Dartmouth high in 1947 and raised three generations of her family in the home she and Tom built.

As the guidance department secretary at Dartmouth High School for 28 years, she was a fixture behind her typewriter supporting students and staff in ways far beyond what was listed in her job description.

After her retirement in 1993, she continued to support her community in various ways and eagerly accepted the job as a full-time Grammy. She’d drop everything to shuttle teenagers and their friends to and from practice, first jobs, and urgent ice cream runs, and never forgot to remind them how loved they were. In 2005, she became a great-grandmother and truly embraced the opportunity to spoil a whole new generation.

She was an active “Facebooker” with a comment for everything. The connections she made to old friends and time spent scrolling kept her company as she navigated the quiet in her older years.

Eleanor created a warm and inviting home where all were welcome, especially those with four furry paws. Whether it was stern advice or kind encouragement, a hearty meal or a stiff drink you could find it at Riverview and would always leave better off than you arrived. She continued to be a constant guiding light for those she loved up until the very end.

She is survived by her son Scott T. Brooks and his wife, Jane, her grandchildren Stephanie (Brooks) Miller and her husband Todd, Scott T. Brooks II and his wife Rachel, and Catrina Forsythe. Her beloved great-grandchildren Ella Grace White, Amelia Grace and Grady James Miller, Thomas James, and Tucker Scott Brooks, Jayla May Sylvia and Ta-Rey McKissack, and many nieces, nephews, neighbors and friends. She was predeceased by her husband Tom, son Kevin Harry Brooks, and her brother Harry D. Gertridge Jr.

Funeral services honoring Eleanor will be held on Monday July 13, 2026, at 11:00am in South Dartmouth Cemetery. All who loved her are invited.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Squirrel Refuge at www.squirrelrefuge.org.