William Earl Brooks, 75, of Fort Smith, Arkansas passed away on January 10, 2023. He was born on September 12, 1947 in Fort Smith to Fred and Patsy (Brown) Brooks. He retired from Fort Smith Public Schools after more than 35 years as a science teacher at Chaffin Junior High. Bill was a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran and worked for the Army Corps of Engineers. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Pam Mann.
Graveside memorial service with military honors is 11:00 am Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at the U.S. National Cemetery under the direction of Ocker-Putman Funeral Home of Fort Smith.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Karen Brooks of the home; two daughters, Amy Ditmore (John) of Welch, OK and Katy Etzkorn (Michael) of Choctaw, OK; two sons, Mark Brooks (Angela) of Stillwater, OK and Matthew Brooks of Fort Smith, AR; five grandsons, Mackey, Brooks, and Wyatt Ditmore and Everett and Walter Etzkorn; two sisters, Trish Phillips (J.D.) of Bokoshe, OK and Deb Lockhart of Bentonville, AR and his brother, Larry Brooks (Ann) of Bokoshe, OK.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Hemock Unit of Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, MO 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108 or the Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street, Fort Smith, AR 72903.