Richard Brooks

Richard A. Brooks, age 80, of Darwin, MN, died on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at the Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield, MN. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, August 27, 2010 at the First Presbyterian Church in Litchfield with Pastor Gordon Pennertz officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials are preferred to the First Presbyterian Church Handicap Accessibility Fund. Richard Allen ""Dick"" Brooks, the son of John and Lois (Ellicott) Brooks was born on July 5, 1930 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Dick received his education in Council Bluffs, Iowa, graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1948. He continued his education, attending Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa. He was united in marriage to Shirley Peterson on January 28, 1951 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Dick was a carpenter for 6 years before becoming deputy building inspector and later building inspector. In 1962, they moved to St. Louis Park, MN where he headed the Building Code Department. He later worked for the State Building Code Division in St. Paul where he became assistant director and later director of Building Codes in Minnesota. In 1987, Dick and Shirley bought a home on Lake Stella, where they enjoyed going every weekend, before he retired and moved there permanently in 1991. He was a member of the Lions Club in St. Louis Park and an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Litchfield. He was past president of the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards and a member of International Conference of Building Officials. He was on the advisory board of the Litchfield Area Hospice, on the board of the Aging Advisory Council, a member of Lake Stella Lakeshore Association and active in Habitat for Humanity. He enjoyed fishing, wood working, volunteering at church and living on Lake Stella. Dick is survived by his wife Shirley, children Jane (and Daniel) Dornfeld of Lakeville, MN; Emily Brooks of Pismo Beach, CA and Carol (and Charles) Chase of Plymouth, MN; 6 grandchildren Kara (and Darin) Duphorn, Karen Anderson, Jacob Anderson, Leah (and Aaron) Peterson, Anna Cariad-Barrett (and Robert Barrett) and John Dornfeld; 2 great grandchildren Kaija Tan and Natalie Duphorn; a brother Gordon (and Marian) Brooks of Branson, MO; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Lois and a brother Robert. Previous Events Visitation Friday, August 27, 2010 11:00 AM First Presbyterian Church 225 N Holcombe Litchfield, MN 55355