Kenneth Brooks

JEROME • Kenneth Monel Brooks, 88, of Jerome, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, at Creekside Care Center.

Kenneth was born Nov. 21, 1923, in Montrose, Colo. He was the fifth child of 10 children born to Edwin and Helen Brooks. He attended schools in Jerome until the eighth grade, when he left school to work on the family farm. He married Edith Heap on Oct. 8, 1944, in Elko, Nev., in a double ceremony with their good friends, Lloyd and Violet Wilson. Kenneth and Edith recently celebrated their 68th anniversary.

Kenneth served in the Army during World War II, staying stateside as his older brothers were already serving overseas. He was honorably discharged after two years of service and came home to Edith and the farm. He farmed and milked cows in the Jerome, Kimberly and Twin Falls areas, and during this time his daughters, Chris, Cindy and Nancy were born. He never regretted not having a son to help with the farm, saying “the girls were as much help as any boy would have been. I sure was lost when they left.” He finally realized his dream of purchasing his own farm in Jerome in 1972. He made many friends in the farming community by sharing machinery and lending a hand during the harvest season. His fields were always completely weed-free due to the hard work by his wife and three daughters. He was a very dedicated farmer and took great pride in his quality of work and the high yield of his crops. Kenneth and Edith were chosen Farm Family of the Month by the Jerome Chamber of Commerce in 1980. Because of his health, they retired in 1984, sold the farm and moved into town.

He enjoyed a good game of horseshoes, playing pool in the basement of his home, fishing, eating breakfast each morning at Choate’s Family Diner and was a frequent visitor at Jackpot, Nev. He was a whiz at math and was constantly adding up figures on a scrap of paper earning the nickname, “Scratch Pad.”

Kenneth is survived by his wife, Edith of Jerome; daughters, Chris (Cecil) Johnson of Alpharetta, Ga., Cindy (George) Turner of Filer and Nancy (Kelly) Huddleston of Twin Falls. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Brenda (Stephen) Hydrick, Dustin (Terry) Johnson, Angie Sligar, Jeremy (Kellie) Sligar, Ashley (Brian) Kleinsmith, Josh Sligar, Jake (Amanda) Huddleston and Kinsey (Robert) Thatcher; and great-grandchildren, Katie and Anna Brook Hydrick, Aiden Johnson, Mariah, Bailey, Tristin and Carlie Sligar, Trinity Kleinsmith, Morgan, Lane, DJ and Wyatt Massey, Taylor Huddleston, and Kimberly and Matthew Thatcher. He is also survived by his brother, Malcolm Brooks; and three sisters, Eunice DeMoss, Vivian Darling and Pat Mitchell. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Frank and Blaine Brooks; and sisters, Eva Lowe, Doris Oliver and Marilyn Brooks.

The funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, at Farnsworth Mortuary Chapel, 1343 S. Lincoln in Jerome. A visitation for family and friends will begin at 1 p.m.