Obituary of Leonard C. Brooks

Leonard C. Brooks, 88, of Neptune, passed into the presence of his Lord on January 11, 2013 surrounded by three generations of his family. He was born on November 28th, 1924 in Manila, Philippines to missionary parents Cyril and Anna Brooks. During WWII, as a 19 year old, he was a prisoner of war under the Japanese at Los Baños Internment Camp. In February of 1945, he was rescued during the famous raid at Los Baños. After his release, he was drafted into the US Army and served in Europe for eight months. Following the war, he graduated from Emmaus Bible School in Toronto, where he met his bride of 63 years, Esther Christensen. They married and moved to Westfield, NJ, where Len worked as an electrical contractor. In 1957, he returned to the Philippines with his own family, where he served in many different capacities, including the formation of Faith Academy, a school for missionary children. In 1972, Len returned to the United States and served as building administrator at Christian Missions in Many Lands in Wall Township for 20 years. He was predeceased by his daughter Nancy Brooks Mehorter. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Esther Christensen Brooks and children: Robert Mehorter and wife Meg of Jackson; David and wife Lois of Scotch Plains; Stephen and wife Doris of Manasquan; Marilou Rogers and husband James of Toms River; Kathy VanDuzer and husband Jim of Emmaus, PA; Bobby and wife Tatum of Manchester, MA; 22 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Other family includes brother Kenneth and wife Elaine of Zellwood, FL and sister Rose Brooks of Manila, Philippines. As a family, we mourn the loss of an amazing father and grandfather but remain incredibly grateful and blessed to have been called his own. The legacy of his deep personal faith and his life of service to family and others, are gifts that have shaped us and will be cherished for the rest of our lives. Visitation will be held at Bethany Bible Chapel, 2341 Church Rd. Toms River on Tuesday, January 15th from 3-5 pm and the funeral service at 7:30 pm. A graveside service will be conducted at 11 am on Wednesday, January 16th at the Fairview Cemetery, 1100 East Broad Street in Westfield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Christian Missions in Many Lands, PO Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762. Letters of condolence may be sent by visiting www.kedzfuneralhome.com