M arvin A. Brooks, 81, of Neddo Street passed away on Friday, Nov., 19, 2010, at Glens Falls Hospital, surrounded by his family and friends.
Born on Sept. 11, 1929, in Whitehall, he was the son of the late John H. and Alice (Hale) Brooks.
Marvin was a graduate of Whitehall High School. He joined the old New York Guards at the age of 16 and then enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1948 and served 40 years, attaining the rank of first sergeant. He was employed as a federal civilian technician at the Whitehall Armory garage for 35 years.
Marvin was a family man who loved his home, family, friends and the village of Whitehall. He was a great storyteller and a quick wit. He was a member of the Whitehall Historical Society, Washington County Historical Society and was a chair of the Village Planning Board.
He was a communicant of the former Our Lady of Angels Church, Our Lady of Seven Dolors and Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church.
Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his son, Stephen J. Brooks, three sisters, Alice Thomas, Sarah Greene and Jane Brooks, and one brother, John A. Brooks.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lorraine (Rodd) Brooks, whom he married on Oct. 21, 1951; one daughter, Deborah Scarpetti and her husband, Richard, of Middlebury, Conn.; two granddaughters, Jodi Brooks Austin and Gina Marie Scarpetti; two grandsons, Stephen Michael Brooks and Richard C. Scarpetti Jr.; and two great-granddaughters, Brooke Jean Austin and Heidi Grace Austin; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in Whitehall, with the Rev. Michael Flannery, Pastor, officiating. Interment, will full military honors, will follow at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Whitehall, conducted by the American Legion Post 83.
Family and friends may call at the Jillson Funeral Home, Inc., 46 Williams St., Whitehall, on Monday, Nov. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may take the form of a donation in Marvin’s name to Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church, 9 Wheeler Ave., Whitehall, N.Y. 12887 or the Skene Manor Preservation, Inc., 8 Potter Drive, Whitehall, , N.Y. 12887.
Lorraine’s version of Marvin was “the true measure of a man is found in his faith, his friends who stand by him, the strength he displayed under pressure and the sensitivity he unashamedly expresses and it’s found in the truth of his words, the genuineness of his life, his unselfish actions and the values he lived by.”
