Thomas J. Brooks, age 68, of Sheboygan, passed away on March 17, 2022, of complications from a fall. Tom was a genuinely nice guy, devoted family man and loving husband. He was fun loving and generous with his time and intellect. A phenomenal reader and life-long learner with particular interest in military history.
Tom was born on June 2, 1953, to the late Thomas and Mary Curry Brooks in McNary, Arizona. He attended catholic schools in Tempe, AZ graduating in 1971. Wanting to see the world, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served his country during the Vietnam War from 1971 – 1974. Following that, Tom attended Arizona State University and received a degree in business. While at ASU, he met Sharon Lynn Lowder and they were wed in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The bulk of Tom’s career was working for EDS of Dallas, Texas, as a business analyst. He moved from Dallas to Boston, to Los Angeles and finally to San Francisco. In Dallas they had a son, Thomas David Brooks in 1987. One year later they adopted their son, John Robert Brooks. Tom retired in 2011 and moved back to Arizona settling in San Tan Valley. Tom and Sharon divorced prior to his retirement.
Tom met Jennifer (Erickson) Weissgerber, of Sheboygan at the end of 2015. They were married 11 months later and the two of them were “snowbirds “for five years traveling between Arizona and Wisconsin twice a year. Growing weary of the drive back and forth, Tom decided he wanted to put down roots permanently in Sheboygan because he had made so many wonderful friends there. He especially enjoyed getting together with special friends Barry and Janel Kunert and hanging out with the gang at Bump’s Grill Tavern.
Survivors include his wife, Jennifer, of Sheboygan; sons, Thomas and John Brooks, of Arizona; a sister, Barbara Brooks and her friend, “Digger” of Hawaii; brothers, Robert (Jill) and David (Kathy) Brooks, all of Arizona; his in-laws Tom and Sharon Grasse, of Arizona and Elkhart Lake, Jeanne Erickson and Marie Grapentine of Manitowoc, Kathy Erickson of Dousman, Mark and Collette Erickson, of Georgia, and the Lowder family in Missouri. His nieces and nephews Elizabeth, Jay, Malia, James, Adeline, Nikki, TJ, Erica, Jessica, Austin, Amanda, Lauren, and Zoe, were all very special to him. Lastly, Tom was extremely proud to become a grandpa in the past year to his grandson, Zayden, of Arizona. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, wife Sharon, father and mother-in-law Alton and Jeannette Erickson and brother-in-law, Alton Jr. “Butch” Erickson.
The family would like to thank the staff in the ICU at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center for their excellent care and compassion. A special thank you goes to Alison, Taylor, Jodi, Elif, Melisa, Lauren, Keri, and Amber. They made a difficult situation bearable with kindness and understanding. Chaplain Darren’s empathy and guidance was much appreciated as well.
Tom will be dearly missed by his family, and they look forward to seeing him again. In accordance with Tom’s wishes, a cremation will take place and no funeral services are to be held.
The Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Please offer your condolences at www.reinboldfh.com
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