Stephen Burton Brooks, 73, of Berwick, Maine, passed away on October 18, 2021, at home surrounded by his family and friends.  Born on August 5, 1948 in Waukegan, Illinois, he was the oldest son of Arthur Burton (Burt) Brooks and Rita Alice Brooks (Cummings).  As a child of a Navy family, Steve and his brothers, Rick and Jeff, grew up in many places, including Maryland and Virginia.  Steve spent many summers with the Cummings family in Oxford, Maine.  This is where he made some of his fondest memories.

He attended and graduated high school in Maryland where he was a reporter for the school newspaper, using the name Babbling Brooks.  There were many days he would skip school to go to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to listen to archival recordings of folk and mountain music.  Steve went on to Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut where he majored in English.  He was a reporter for the college newspaper, the Thamesana, and had his poetry published in The Collage, a literary journal consisting of student art and poetry.  Steve was co-captain of the tennis team.  He met his future wife, Phyllis Mae Frazier, during his freshman year at Mitchell.  This is also where Steve met Barry Winkelman, who would be his best man and lifelong friend.  Barry became the husband of Phyllis's high school best friend, Pam Sanko.  These four had many adventures and created countless memories.  Upon graduation in 1969, he received an Alumni in Excellence Award.

He continued his studies at the University of Hartford for one year. From there, Steve moved to Willimantic, Connecticut, working at the Central Connecticut Cooperative, unloading egg trucks and supervising the handling and packing of eggs.  He was the right hand man of Heinz Braunsberg, the general manager.  During this time, Steve and Phyllis began their forever friendship with Jenny Zaviskas.  He went on to complete his Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1972.

Steve and Phyllis married on May 27, 1972 in Old Lyme, Connecticut at the Old Lyme Congregational Church.  They honeymooned at the Cummings family's camp on Azicoos Lake in Coos County.  They lived in Willimantic, Connecticut until moving to Berwick, Maine in July of 1972.  They lived with his parents, Burt and Rita, until moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  He worked at several manufacturing plants in the early 1970's.  In 1974 he became the assistant manager at The Globe Department Store in Wells, Maine.  He went on to manage Natural High Campground from April 1975 until November 1976.  His jobs consisted of property maintenance, construction, and hot air balloon rides.  It was here he met his lifelong friends Roy and Sandy Hutchinson.  Phyllis gave him a puppy for his birthday, and he named him Schlitz after his favorite beer at the time.  Schlitz was the best dog he ever had.  After leaving the campground, Steve and Phyllis lived with the Hutchinsons until their first daughter, Rebecca Paige, was born in December of 1976.

In 1977 they moved to Wells, Maine and Steve began work as a welder during the construction of what is now Seabrook Station, becoming the Permanent Materials Coordinator, Lead Welding Coordinator, and Assistant Welding Superintendent.  He then worked there as a nuclear analyst until his retirement in 2007.  He was hired back until 2012 as a general contractor and traveled as a consultant to power plants across the country.

In early 1979, Steve and his family moved back to Berwick, next door to his parents, and had their second daughter, Leslie Frazier, in April of 1980. They lived there until moving into his parents' house in April of 1983, after Steve's mother passed away.  He lived here for the rest of his life.  During these 40 years, Steve worked tirelessly on remodeling and upgrading the home.  He removed all the horsehair plaster and replaced it with new sheetrock, made all the trim for the house, and built furniture.  Woodworking was one of his favorite hobbies and he made gifts for many friends and family through the years, some from the cherry tree he cut in his backyard.

Steve's favorite place to spend time was his garage.  That's where you would find him chatting and tipping a few back with friends, tying flies for fly fishing, listening to music, making sausage with his son-in-laws, smoking salmon, fixing family and friends' vehicles, entertaining his four beloved grandkids with cotton candy and popcorn, singing or playing songs on his harmonica, or just tinkering. Every time his grandkids would leave, he would hand out dollars.  His oldest, Hannah, started a "garage stash" and Lily, Emma, and Sawyer enjoyed pocketing their loot.

One of Steve's favorite pastimes was grilling and cooking.  He was famous for his baked beans and smoked salmon.  Every Christmas Eve Steve made homemade pierogies for the family and friends that gathered together.  During outages at the power plant, he would make fish chowder, prime rib roasts and smoked salmon for his co-workers.

Steve was also a fisherman, beekeeper, girls' softball coach, apple cider maker, and a Mason, like his father. His grandchildren loved the four wheeler rides he would give them through the woods along the river behind the house, and he and his first granddaughter had what they called "Hannah and Grampa days", where he would take her on special outings, just the two of them.  Steve was an avid reader and loved to read Mark Twain, Patrick McManus, Anne Rice, Dud Dean books, Maine history, and non-fiction.  He loved outdoor activities like ice fishing, saltwater fishing and snowmobiling.  Fishing was his first and lasting love, and he spent countless hours on the water.  He loved stream fishing for trout most of all.

Steve was the best story teller, and could weave a tale that could delight or terrify children and adults alike.  When you left his house at night, you  were sure to be wary of snicker-snacks, snow snakes, and the tree squeaks.  Some of his favorite stories to tell were The Jabberwocky, tales of his grandmother outsmarting the Indians, and times with all of his cousins and grandparents in Oxford.  His favorite though was reading The Night Before Christmas every year for over 45  years to Rebecca and Leslie,  Brandy and Jill, Corey, Ryan, Shawn and Brylie, David and Steven, and any other kids who were visiting.  Most of all he loved reading it with his grandchildren, Hannah, Lily, Emma and Sawyer, with each joining in to read along with him.  This is one of the things he will be missed most for.

Steve was known and loved for his sense of humor and crazy antics.  Some of his best known tricks were alligator, elephant, chasing people with his swords or giant zucchini, shutting the power off to the whole house and hunting you down in the dark, his wind-up thumb, food fights at the kitchen table, scaring people coming out of the bathroom or down the stairs, hiding dressed in scary masks, sending ghosts down from the garage attic, and countless other pranks.  Regardless of how scared they were, kids always went back for more.  He insisted on dancing the dollar dance at every wedding he attended, but only with the groom. Steve was a friend to anyone that had a sense of humor.

Steve's favorite place to visit was North Shore Camps on Fish River Lake in the North Maine Woods, hours from civilization, where there are only gas lights and a hand pump for bringing up water from the lake.  He started going on fishing and hunting trips with his friend Jigger in the late 1980's and became friends with Louis, Pete, Fred, Charlie, and Ray.  His favorite gate keeper was George, and he spent lots of time chatting at the checkpoint with him.  He would bring George a bottle of Crown Royal for his birthday every summer.  Steve began taking family trips to camp in 1993.  Over the years many friends and family joined the trips and shared his little piece of Heaven on Earth.  He sat on the front porch for hours tying flies for himself and his family to fly fish with.  Trips to the cove were a daily occurrence, as were wildlife rides, where you would see loons, bald eagles, moose, deer and bear.  He would troll the deep end waiting for the big one.  At night he would lay in bed and read Goops to all of his grandchildren.  Many hours were spent around the table playing merciless games of UNO, as well as cribbage and reluctantly, Apples to Apples.  He loved the two-holer and preferred the yellow seat, with a warm cup of coffee and a Northwoods Sporting Journal.  The door was always left open.  Steve introduced many to the hidden gems of Moccasin, Ferguson, and North Ponds.  He also enjoyed his spring fishing trips with his son-in-laws, Mike and Dan. They came home with stories to tell and Steve had the scars to prove them.  When Grampa got his only grandson, he made sure to tell him of the dangers of the dreaded weiner hawk that circled camp looking for a tasty treat.

Steve and Phyllis spent many happy times over the years at their honeymoon camp at Aziscoos. Steve loved traveling to Florida after he grew sick of Maine winters, and he and Phyllis visited there during school vacations for several years, later joined by Mary and Bob for longer trips.  He and Phyllis went on vacations to San Antonio, Toronto, the Catskills, Lake George, Mount Desert, Montreal, Quebec City, and San Padre Island, and had hoped to visit many other spots, including the National Parks.  Many of these trips were shared with close friends.

Steve was helpful and generous to anyone in need, whether is was money, a ride, a place to stay, borrowing a vehicle or tools, plowing snow with his four wheeler, co-signing a loan for his daughter's best friend's first car, buying shirts for every child on a field trip, or anything anyone may have needed or even just wanted.  Most times he offered without needing to be asked.  His generosity and humor were his greatest gifts and he passed them on to his children and grandchildren.  His memory will live on in them forever and they will continue to carry on his traditions.

Steve was predeceased by his parents, Burt and Rita Brooks, stepmother Lee Brooks, uncle and aunt Frank and Maggie Green, uncles Dale and Buddy Cummings, brother Rick Brooks and wife Sheila, and great-niece Kerri Rogoz.  He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Phyllis Brooks, daughters Rebecca Warren and Leslie Blanchette, son-in-laws Mike Warren and Dan Blanchette, and grandchildren Hannah and Emma Warren and Lily and Sawyer Blanchette.  Steve is also survived by his brother Jeff Brooks and wife Darshanna, as well as cousins Elaine, Carol, and Maxine and their families.  Other surviving family members include in-laws Mary and Bob Rogoz, Melanie and Marty Ham, Laura Leigh and Michael Brodsky, nieces and nephews Christopher and Jessica, Richie and Ginny, David and Steven, and Sydney.   He is fondly remembered by longtime family friends Roy and Sandy Hutchinson, Jenny Zaviskas, Barry Winkelman, Pam Winkelman-Etue, Patrick Winkelman, Larry and Sue Stahlberg, and wonderful neighbors JD and Leslie.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Steve's name to Trout Unlimited, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America's cold water fisheries and their watersheds.  Steve was a member of this group for many years.  A celebration of Steve's life will be held at Paddy's, An American Grille, 27 International Drive, Portsmouth, NH. on Saturday, November 20th from 1-4 p.m.  There will be a cash bar and light appetizers and refreshments will be served. Please come in comfortable, casual clothing with your favorite stories about Steve to share.  Paper will be provided to record them for the family to enjoy for years to come.  If you are unable to attend, please send your story via email to pbrooks272@gmail.com , or to Phyllis Brooks, 83 Rochester Street, Berwick, Maine 03901.