Terry D. Brooks, age 83, of Fennville, passed away on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
Terry Brooks was born on February 10, 1940 in Atlanta, Michigan to Clyde and Margaret “Peggy” (Hyde) Brooks. He graduated from Atlanta High School in 1958 and attended County Normal School in Hillman, Michigan. After one year, he began teaching in a one-room school house in Sand Lake, Michigan while continuing his education to earn a BS degree in Elementary Education. In 1958, he married the late Carol Peterson of Lewiston. Together they had 4 children; Rocky, Perry, Renee and Drew. When Terry wasn’t teaching, he kept busy building/remodeling homes.
His educational career took he and his family to Rockford, Sand Lake and Hillman, where he taught elementary classrooms, and served as a principal, and Director of Community Education. In 1976, he accepted the position of Superintendent of Big Bay de Noc Public Schools in the Upper Peninsula, Cooks, Michigan.
In the early 1960s, he and several friends from the Atlanta area purchased forty acres of vacant land on an island (Summer Island) in the U.P. located in Northern Lake Michigan. The initial thought was to use this for hunting. Within two years, the partners decided to build a summer camp for high school and college students to earn credits in the science curriculum. They operated Summer Island Science Camp for six years.
In 1988, Terry accepted the Superintendent position at Saugatuck Public Schools and remained there through 1995, when he retired and returned to live at his home in Cooks, Michigan. In 2002, Terry married Sandra (Wedge) Brooks. They enjoyed remodeling homes and flipped several homes in the Douglas area. If Terry wasn’t working construction, he was on hunting trips to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nova Scotia and Western Canada. Terry and Sandy enjoyed gathering with family and friends, traveling, hunting, spending time at their cabin on Summer Island, and spending winter months in Florida. When Sandy retired from Saugatuck Public Schools in 2009, they lived in their home in Cooks until 2021, then they returned to their home outside the city of Douglas.
Terry is survived by his wife Sandy and her two children, Naomi (Jeff) Shashaguay of Saugatuck, Kyle (Doreen) Moeller of Grand Rapids, four grandchildren, (Jadin Reed, Mia Reed, Jeffrey Shashaguay, and Remy Moeller), sisters, Zoe (Don) Oltz of New Burn, NC and Patricia Beauregard of Ypsilanti, sisters-in-law; Sharon Mattieu of Allegan and Theresa (Scott) Pederson of Grand Rapids, brothers-in-law; Ed (Jen) Wedge of Allegan and Matt Wedge of Grand Rapids, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He is preceded in death by his parents, sons; Rockford and Travis Perry, father and mother-in-law; Lyle and Rose Wedge and brother-in-law Wayne Beauregard.
At Terry’s request there will not be any services held.
The family asks in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the scholarship funds/foundations of Big Bay de Noc Schools, 8928 Oo.25 Road, Cooks, MI 49817 or Saugatuck Public Schools, Attn. Kim Sharda, P.O. Box 818, Douglas, MI 49406 or to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Rd., SW, Lilburn, Georgia 30047 (www.lbda.org).
Professional service entrusted to the Saugatuck Chapel.
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