Obituary

Ricky Dean Brooks was born May 26, 1953 at Camp Roberts, California. His father’s military and working career took their family from southern California to Olympia Washington, Alexandria Minnesota, Sitka Alaska, and finally Ferndale, Washington. 

After graduating from Ferndale High School he attended college in Phoenix, Arizona where he attended year round and graduated in three years with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering degree from DeVry University.

His working career started as a computer technician for an oil research company based out of Houston, Texas. His job took him to remote areas in Alaska on and around the North Slope, Arctic Ocean, Brooks Range, Nome, Kotzebue, and Glenn Allen during the Alaska Pipeline construction years. He returned to his family home in Ferndale where he worked at a local aluminum siding and gutter company while looking for a job in electronics.

Rick reconnected with his high school sweetheart Marcella Marie Warmink and they were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellingham, Washington on February 12, 1977, the 7th anniversary of their first date, a Valentine Day ToLo dance. Their lives were blessed with two children, Lorinda Elizabeth born in 1979 and Jeremy Dean in 1982.

In June 1977, Rick started work for the computer center at Western Washington State College. He worked as a computer operator for a year waiting for a technician position to be created. When networking became a need for the school, he took over as lead engineer. He helped design and build the University’s computer network. What started as a single dial-up connection to the University of Washington developed into a fiber optic based computer network with more than 21,000 network connections. He was responsible for the installation, maintenance, monitoring and operation of the network switches, routers, and fiber optic cable plant on the main campus  and remote sites. He worked while dealing with various health issues resulting from a motorcycle accident in 1983, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1991, chemotherapy, full body radiation and a bone marrow transplant in 1995, and a major brain stem stroke June 2010.

After six months of rehabilitation, therapy, and working from home, he ended his full time career and retired from Western Washington University in December of 2010 with 33 1/2 years of service. After the state mandatory of 30 days separation from service, he returned to work for WWU, part time from home. He worked an additional year and a half until the network projects he was working on at the time of his stroke were completed and his job responsibilities transferred to other personnel.

Rick enjoyed spending time with family, camping and traveling in their various recreation vehicles. Their RV’ing took their family to Alaska, Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Minnesota, and all states in between as well as British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alberta Canada where Marcella’s father’s family originated. When traveling as a couple, Rick and Marcella would search out area wineries to tour and purchase wine for their collection and enjoyment.

Rick was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church since 1976 where he served as Vice President, Chairman of the Stewardship Board, Elder, and Stephen Minister. He also served as lay delegate to many Circuit, District, and National Conventions. As Elder he enjoyed assisting with worship services, taking Communion to, visiting and ministering to members in their homes, hospitals, and care centers.

He was preceded in death by his father Charles E. Brooks. He is survived by his mother Myrtle Ann Brooks of Bellingham, wife Marcella, children Lorinda, Jeremy (Angie), grandchildren Hailey Marie, Jacob Dean, brother Rev. Dana (Janet) Brooks of Caldwell, Idaho, and nephews Stephen, Paul, and Lucas.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellingham,WA, on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 2pm.