The City of Yuma joins the community in celebrating the life and accomplishments of former Councilmember Bobby Brooks, a longtime business owner and member of various boards and service organizations, following his passing.

“Councilman Brooks truly embodied the spirit of service and commitment to the Yuma community,” noted Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls. “Bobby is a true Yuma icon. We join with his family in mourning his passing.”

The owner of Brownie’s and at one point as many as four restaurants in the Yuma area, Brooks served on City Council from 1998-2005.

Born in 1938, Brooks called his personal story “as Yuma as it gets” in a profile in the Yuma Sun. His mother, father and three older brothers had arrived in Yuma from Oklahoma during the Great Depression. They were heading for California, but were turned back at the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge due to a lack of means of support. The Brooks family supported themselves in the Yuma area by picking cotton and strawberries.

Brooks’ legacy of community service includes membership in Caballeros de Yuma, Yuma Rotary Club, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce and the board for the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, in addition to his time on Council.

When asked by the Yuma Sun what surprised him most about his time on the City Council, he replied, “The long hours and the studying.”

His daughter, Bobbi, also served a term on the Yuma City Council.