Monica Elisabeth Attermeier Brooks died on Friday, October 10, 2014 at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She was 93.

Monica was born in Cudahy, Wisconsin on New Year’s Day, 1921. She was the fifth of nine children. Her mother Martha was widowed when Monica was five. During the Great Depression, Martha supported her children by working as a milliner in Cudahy. Later, Monica attended Wisconsin State Teachers’ College and taught kindergarten before marrying Frank Edward Brooks, a pilot and captain in the U.S. Air Force. They wed in 1945.

The two were married for 56 years and lived in Tennessee, Florida, Libya, Virginia, and California before finally settling in Arizona. They had four children. Monica returned to her teaching career in the 1970s, teaching kindergarten and special education at Bell Hill and Hennessy schools in Grass Valley, California.

After retiring, Monica volunteered extensively at Telecare in Grass Valley, California and later at the Sierra Vista Library book store in Arizona. Her hobbies included golfing, aerobics, bridge, and crosswords. She enjoyed traveling, first with her husband and later alone. In her late eighties, she journeyed to Berlin, Germany, to attend her granddaughter Nadia’s wedding.

Monica celebrating Thanksgiving with her daughter Carolyn. She was 92.

Monica celebrating Thanksgiving with her daughter Carolyn. She was 92.

Monica is predeceased by her husband Frank, her son Barry Jude, her grandson Barry Lee, and seven of her siblings. She is survived by her daughters Ellen and Carolyn, her son Steven, her sister Dolores, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. She will also be missed by her “adopted” daughter Barbara and her devoted caregivers, Rose and Ruby.

Monica's last birthday: an elegant tea with her daughter Ellen.

Monica’s last birthday: an elegant tea with her daughter Ellen.

Monica’s life will be celebrated at Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She will be buried at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, beside her departed husband. Her family requests that any donations be given to MADD–Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.