Thanks to Millie (Cappellano) Thomson for notifying me about Arthur, and Frank Stewart for providing the obituary.

Arthur Phillips Brooks, Jr. was born April 12, 1945 in Quincy, Mass. When he was young, his family built a house in Scituate next to a golf course. He and his friends would go to the harbor and swim every day in the summertime. He made money as a kid by collecting all the golf balls on the field and selling them back to the golfers for about $1 a bucket.

After He graduated high school in 1964, he decided to attend school at Wentworth Institute of Technology for building and construction. As a result of his college training he served in the military as a Navy Seabees in Mobile Construction Battalion 8. He served two tours in Vietnam from 1966-68. He worked in the construction field for over 40 years and retired as a Los Angeles County Public Works Inspector.

When Arthur’s children were young they cherished their time with him particularly through reading bedtime stories from the book series Peter Rabbit. In his reading he animated the stories so lively and eloquently which inspired them in their own personal potential learning.

One of his favorite hobbies was collecting model trains for setting up mini train towns. He also had a camera everywhere he went. After retiring in 2010 he captured all the beauties of the world including people, and details of random objects and scenery in his photographs.

His most favorite thing to do was to dance with his wife. He would take every opportunity to take her by the hand when he heard a danceable song. Whether it was in the grocery store aisle or on a cruise ship dance floor, he would take his wife by the hand and swing her around. Onlookers would sometimes not know what to do, but all could see the joy and happiness on their faces as they created a dance floor everywhere they went.

Arthur passed away on March 2, 2023 peacefully in his home in South Jordan, Utah, surrounded by his loving family. He was seventy seven. He was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in June 2014. He was a fighter. Linda fought with him and supported his choices. With a complete diet change and suitable treatments including alternatives they managed to turn 2 weeks to live into almost 9 years. They decided they were going to live and create wonderful experiences and memories. They’ve been all over the world and have met so many fantastic people. They’ve created an eternity of exciting experiences together. Arthur was kind, generous, thoughtful and always went out of his way to assist someone in need. He’s a Vietnam veteran who loved his country. He loved his family who were the most precious to him and Linda’s family whom he loved like his own. He is loved by many and will be truly missed.

He is survived by his loving wife Linda. Together they have 10 children, 27 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and 7 foster grandchildren.

He will be buried at Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Camp Williams.