Michael Gordon Brooks

Michael Gordon Brooks, father of seven children, grandfather of fourteen grandchildren, Elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, career operating engineer with the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 18 in Dayton Ohio, passed away on Monday, February 1, 2021 in his home in Huber Heights, OH unexpectedly. He was born January 11, 1958 to Gordon Lewis and Phyllis Irene Brooks while living in Beavercreek, OH.

Michael was a free spirit, always marching to the beat of his own drum. He dreamed of spending his retirement onboard an RV as a traveling nomad, taking in the beauty this world has to offer while visiting with his children and grandchildren who live around the U.S. Even though that plan cannot come to fruition, his journey through this life was still full of adventure.

Michael had the privilege of serving in the Navy in his early twenties, visiting such places as Guam and Hawaii. He also completed Marine Corps boot camp. He loved this country and always showed great enthusiasm for political discourse, perhaps traits he inherited from his mother Phyllis who was a political activist locally and his father Gordon who served as a Marine.

During his career as an operating engineer Michael was able to work at various sites around the U.S. as a Boom (crane-style machine for pipe and welder box lifting) operator, places that include Kansas, North Dakota and Ohio, among others. He also operated a large range of equipment types including: Bobcats, bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, backhoes and more; some so large that their wheels were taller than a man. He enjoyed the thrill of wielding such powerful machines with precision and took pride in performing his job duties in a meticulous, detail-oriented manner.

Michael showed a reverence toward nature and animal life. He was able to inspire in others an appreciation for the beauty of natural vistas and a compassion toward animals. This was especially apparent during a few family road trips through the open fields of Kansas, the Rocky Mountains of Utah, the Meteor Crater landmark in Arizona, the great red-orange plateaus of southern Utah and Nevada, the salt flats of Utah, the Sequoia National Forest and Pacific coast of California, the sage brushed desert of northern Texas, and the Grand Canyon National Park, to name a few. He always appeared awe-struck at the sight of these things, even after having witnessed them before.

Michael enjoyed watching and learning from history, science and even sci-fi conspiracy documentaries. He enjoyed watching and discussing biblical period apocrypha themed documentaries, ancient alien sci-fi style documentaries and many others with his children. His narration and commentary throughout will be missed. He also had a love for entertainment media in the form of movies. He enjoyed seeing nearly every new movie in theaters. This practice became a family ritual to some degree over the years. Other hobbies of his included riding his motorcycle and perfecting his holiday recipes. He helped create many funny and happy memories through these passions.

Michael was an active member of the LDS faith during his life and encouraged his family to pursue that path. His love and enthusiasm for the teachings of Jesus in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, as well as teachings from past and present church leadership were infectious. He spoke about these topics with an almost giddy demeanor. He was very drawn to teachings about the afterlife and all that they entailed. Because of his faith he looked forward to his passing without fear.

He is survived by His former wife of nearly 39 years; Tammy Susan Stotts Brooks, their seven children: Michael Austin Tyler (Kali, Grey & Sloane) Brooks, Ashley Autumn (Nathan, Hayden, Maddyn, Paiton, Airris, Wyndom & Leiumn) Armstrong, Michael Logan Tanner (Annie, Madison & Kinley) Brooks, Lindsey Lorin (Markus, Lincoln & Colton) Beil, Michael Weston Tayler Brooks, Whitney Waden (Armani & Alayna) Archie and Michael Hansen Turner (Ashley & Layla) Brooks; their fourteen grandchildren and His sisters: Victoria Jean (Brian) Winget, Katharine Irene (Daniel) Kimura and Lorri Renee (Ed) Roberts.

We are heartbroken at his loss and will forever miss his smile and laughter. He will be in our hearts and minds. We are his legacy and his life was rich because of it. We hope to see him again someday.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Newcomer Funeral Home, 3380 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, Ohio 45432.

Memorial Contributions can be made to Newcomer Funeral Home to assist with Michaels funeral arrangements.

The State of Ohio is under a mandatory mask order that has required that face masks be worn in all public places. Also there will be hand sanitation stations provided throughout the funeral home.

To share a memory of Michael or to leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.