Martha Lou "Marty" (nee Lewis) Brooks
July 8, 1937 ~ August 7, 2021
Martha Lou “Marty” Brooks (nee Lewis), 84, was born in Cape Girardeau, Mo., to William and Linda Lewis. She attended Trinity Lutheran School and Central High School before earning an Associate of Arts degree in 1958 from St. John’s College, Winfield, KS.
In 1961, she married M. Thomas Brooks, who was a student at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO. While there, she taught at Ebenezer Lutheran School and again at Trinity Lutheran School in Santa Ana, CA, during Brooks’s vicarage or internship.
In Rev. Brooks’s 36-year ministry in churches in Missouri and Kansas, Marty worked as a nurses’ aide and in a pediatric clinic. Her primary concern, however, was always her family, her church and those she met. Her engaging personality helped her reach out to others, making a friend by being a friend.
When Rev. Brooks retired in 2000, the couple moved to Forsyth, MO, where they lived in a beautiful lakeside home. In 2018 they moved to Wichita, KS, to be closer to their children.
The couple was blessed with and is survived by three children: Mary Liz (Bruce) Brittain of Andover, KS; Paul (Tonya) of Archer City, TX; and Matthew (Krista) of Hays, KS; eight grandchildren: Evan Brittain, Hanna (Jake) Huber; Jacey, Jahna and Tessa Brooks; Tommy, Nathaniel and Jayne Brooks; her sister Mary (Tom) Schaefer; one niece, Jami (Nathan) Cuka; and one nephew, Joel (Amy) Schaefer.
Marty died Aug. 7, 2021. A loving spouse, mother and grandmother, Marty was a Sunday school teacher, choir member, and strong supporter of her family and church. Her life was a fulfillment of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1101 N. River Blvd., Wichita. The Memorial Service will be Live Streamed through the church's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gloriadeiwichita/ or through the "Watch Link" below. Memorials can be made to Gloria Dei and Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S. Market, Wichita, KS 67202.
Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.
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Martha Lou and Tom have always been so nice to Bonnie and me. She and Mary Ellen are two of my favorite cousins. It all started with Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill who lived up the street. I think about all of them often. It was with great sadness I read about Marty’s death this morning. But I know now she has eternal life. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in the peace of Christ. Dale and Bonnie Gerecke Cape Girardeau, Missouri
My wife (Keri) and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary a little over a month ago, and we can certainly thank Marty for playing a part in our being together. Marty suggested to Keri that she contact me, and about three months after our first date we were engaged. Tom was the pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Hays at that time, and I was going to services there while attending FHSU. Although Tom and Marty left Hays before our wedding date, Tom did come back to marry us at Messiah. Thank you, Marty!
Tom, I was so sorry to read of Marty’s death. Johnnies, I am sure have a special place in heaven to gather. God’s blessings to you and your family. Rocky Mease