Bobby Eugene Brooks of New Haven, Conn., went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Bobby was born on Feb. 25, 1948, in Sumter, South Carolina. Bobby was the second of four sons born to the late Solomon Bernard Brooks and Beulah Sanders Brooks.
As a child, Bobby loved bicycles, cars, and playing with his siblings. He was a history buff and loved the history channel, old music, and antiques. He especially enjoyed working with wood, following in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather’s (Robert J. Sanders, Jr.) carpentry trade.
Bobby graduated from Lincoln High School in 1967, and while in high school, he completed a two-year carpentry program where he discovered his passion for carpentry. In 1968, he was inspired to join the Army and was honored to serve his country as a Sergeant in the Vietnam War. During his time in service, he was awarded several medals: National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Service Star; Air Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster and the Army Commendation Medal. Bobby planned to re-enlist after his first tour but was convinced by his brother Wayne to join him in New Haven, Conn., where he began working in the field of carpentry.
Bobby became known for his carpentry craftsmanship and contracting expertise. He spent most of his career designing and constructing projects throughout New Haven, including churches, colleges, municipal buildings, public dwellings, and private residences, as well as additional woodworking and upholstery creations. He was most proud to see his legacy continue in helping his family redesign their apartments and homes. Bobby also assisted in building the sundial located at Edgewood Park. He was extremely pleased with this project. Bobby enjoyed cooking. He was a cook/chef in his earlier years at Holiday Inn and Kentucky Fried Chicken for three years while attending high school.
Bobby met his wife, Annie “Ann” Vera Davis while working in New Haven and they married on Nov. 9, 1975. They were proud parents to their son, Robert Eugene Brooks. Bobby was a humbled father and enjoyed teaching his son Robert about riding bikes, home renovations and the importance of hard work and family. Bobby was overjoyed to be called “Grandpa” to his grandsons, Noah, Dylan and Jordan, who filled his life with a great sense of happiness and laughter.
Bobby is predeceased by his parents Solomon and Beulah Brooks, and his father-in-law Ed Davis, and mother-in-law Bertha Davis.
He leaves to cherish in his loving memory his wife of 49 years, Annie Vera Davis Brooks; cherished son, Robert Eugene Brooks (Danielle); grandsons, Noah, Dylan, and Jordan; siblings, Solomon “Junior” Bernard, Jr., William E. “Billy”, and Marshall Wayne, Sr. (Mary Louise); nephew, Marshall Wayne, Jr. (Charla); grandnephews, Mason and Maverick; and a host of family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Mount Zion Seventh Day Adventist Church, 335 Putnam Ave., Hamden, CT. Friends may call at 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the church. Interment with Military Honors will follow in the State Veterans Cemetery, 317 Bow Ln., Middletown. Services by Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, 1287 Chapel St., New Haven, CT. To leave a message of comfort for the family, please visit our website at www.hkhfuneralservices.com