William E. Brooks (90) of Shumway, Formerly of Jacksonville, Florida
Published on June 12 2021 4:52 pm
William E. Brooks, 90, of Shumway, IL, formerly of Jacksonville, FL, passed away on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Funeral services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham, IL. Burial will be in Blue Point Baptist Church Cemetery in Shumway.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to New Hope Church-Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared by clicking here.
William was born on May 10, 1931, in Edneyville, NC, the son of Jane and Erle Brooks.
William was married to Omergene (McLane) Brooks for 70 years. He would always introduce her as, “His First Wife”. He had two children: Brenda who is married to Willard Clark and Van who is married to Lori (Schrock) Brooks. He has 5 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
William was a Korean War veteran and served as a police chaplain in several cities. He served 30 years as a pastor in the Florida United Methodist Conference. He served an additional 23 years as the founder and pastor of Abundant Life Church in Jacksonville, FL. He also traveled on many overseas mission trips through his life.
William enjoyed history, research, and wrote a number of books and magazine articles. He liked to draw pencil sketches of boats, planes, and landscapes.
William was best known for his friendliness, sense of humor, and his ability to tell countless stories for hours on end. He was a faithful husband, dad, and friend. His biggest achievement was to surrender his life to Jesus and to follow Him on many adventures.