Brooksie M. Crew

It is with profound sadness, yet an overwhelming sense of gratitude, that we bid farewell to our matriarch, BROOKSIE MAE WILKES CREW, age 97. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, after a courageous & valiant battle with rapidly progressing dementia on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, after a one day stay at Bridging Life Hospice located in Northwest Hospital following a two and a half month stay at King David Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pikesville, MD. Born in Westminster, SC on July 15, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Sennie Henderson Wilkes. She was the baby of 9 siblings. She attended the public schools of Oconee County, where she was on the girls’ basketball team. She then attended Seneca Junior College, a 3-room schoolhouse, which educated African American children from 1899 to 1939 during times of segregation. She later graduated from Friendship Junior College in Rock Hill, SC. She would travel by train each day with her older sisters as they all had a passion for reading and learning. Brooksie grew up on a cotton farm. She would often share with her family, all of her cherished childhood memories with her animals, especially her dogs, cats and chickens. She loved animals and nature. Her love of basketball, baseball and football also continued throughout her life, an avid Orioles and Ravens fan. Brooksie would spend countless hours watching sports on any given weekend. She also loved golf, tennis, figure skating, and soccer. She was enthralled by the summer and winter Olympics. Brooksie married her childhood sweetheart John, when she was just 21 years of age in 1948 in Seneca, SC with both families present at her parents’ farmhouse. They were married for 63 years before his passing in 2011. They shared a beautiful love story together rooted in hope and rich in depth. Their relationship was shaped by commitment, communication, resilience, laughter, mutual dreams, hard work, grit, friendship, romance, loss & hardship,forgiveness, balance, unwavering support, and enduring love & admiration for each other. Their story symbolized two people who built something sacred not because it was easy, but because it was worth it. Once they became parents to John Jr. and Kimberly in their early 40’s after several attempts to conceive without loss, they became their central focus and poured everything they built into their children. John and Brooksie purchased a home in Ashburton, in 1965. They became upstanding community members and neighborhood parents to Larry and Kim’s friends. The back yard patio, basketball hoop, huge climbing tree, mom’s kitchen and the occasional black light basement party with Larry & Beatle’s DJ equipment were frequent pleasantries for the friends (always supervised of course) in addition to the Poker & Pokeno parties, crab feasts, Thanksgiving Dinners, Christmas gatherings and cook outs, John & Brooksie liked to host for their own close friends. John sent for Brooksie to come to New York City soon after marriage, after he served in 2 wars and began working on his Masters at New York University. Brooksie worked at several department stores in NY and spent her early career modeling. She always had a love of fashion, even wearing suits, dresses and heels until her late 90’s. Once moving to Baltimore, Brooksie’s first career began at Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch as a clerk. Her love for the library remained constant, as she would take John Jr. (Larry) and Kim to the library each weekend for Storytime and to check out books and eventually retire from a library. Brooksie was able to be a stay-at-home mom, most of the duration of Larry and Kim’s formal schooling. This being her most “noble profession” in our eyes, but as soon as John Sr. retired in 1982, Brooksie wanted to go to work! She started at Coppin in 1982 working in the Parlett Moore Library at Coppin State University as an Administrative Assistant and remained there for 38 years before retiring in 2020. Brooksie was so proud to have gained some independence back by working again. She developed so much pride and accomplishment living in a family full of scholars and a renewed identity. It was a refreshing change for Brooksie and a form of mental stimulation. She created many new friendships and relationships with Coppin’s staff and students. She had daily visitors at the library, including the mailman, who would stop to talk to Brooksie for hours and distract her from her job. She and her boss, Dr. Mary Wanza were like sisters. When Dr. Wanza was asked about Brooksie’s quality of work once she surpassed age ninety, Dr. Wanza said, she had a desk at Coppin for as long as she wanted. Brooksie had a team of individuals that she worked with for years (Alice & LaTrice) who filled in the gaps where Brooksie fell short and kept a watchful eye on her to make sure her roles and responsibilities were met. Unfortunately, Dr. Wanza passed away during the time Brooksies’s dementia set in and she never knew Dr. Wanza passed before her. A reunification in heaven will surely take place for these two! Coppin recognized Brooksie at an awards ceremony in 2018 for over 35 years of service. Some say it was divine intervention that an un-manned rolling car drifted down a hill and hit Brooksie at full impact right in front of Coppin as she entered the parking lot in late 2019. This accident drove her decision to retire, but had she continued to work during the impending pandemic, her outcome may have turned out differently as she would be determined to go to work.God’s plans and his grace and mercy have been sufficient for Brooksie. John Jr. served as her caregiver, son, friend and confidant until he passed, and Kimberly stepped in in 2022 to ensure her needs were met until the end. Brooksie and John found salvation early, being raised by Christian parents making God the cornerstone. Faith was not preached, but lived out daily, as the era that they grew up brought many challenging times. Brooksie and John and their parents were devout believers who made prayer a priority and church the second home. They joined Grace Presbyterian Church in 1953 when it was located in East Baltimore under pastorate of Rev. Thomas Newbold Jr. when they resided on Federal St. But when funds came through to purchase an expansion property at the current location of Greenspring and Bannister Roads in 1969, Rev. William T. Peters accepted the call to leadership. He later christened Larry & Kim as small

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Brooksie M. Crew

July 15, 1927 - May 13, 2025