James 'Jimmy" Boyd Brooks

James Boyd Brooks

Father, husband, business man, farmer, rancher, pescador, traveler, and key lime pie connoisseur; James “Jimmy” Boyd Brooks, died on April 2^nd, 2020. Jimmy was born on February 3, 1952 to Leora and J.B. Brooks in south Texas. In Jimmy’s early years, his father J.B. owned Brooks Motor Company in downtown Pearsall and ran a booming farm close to Divot, Texas where Jimmy and his siblings Sibyl Brooks (Howsley) of Austin and Ronnie Brooks (deceased) would help and play. In school, Jimmy was an astute learner and avid athlete excelling at quarterbacking the football team, pitching for the baseball team, playing tennis, and competing in high jump during track season.  Jimmy met his wife Suzanne in school and the two became high school sweethearts.  Jimmy graduated Pearsall High School in 1970 and began his journey to Austin Texas to study at The University of Texas and gain a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management in 1974. In the summertime, Jimmy could be found bailing hay on the family’s ranch and passing time pitching on a baseball league or racing cars on the back roads. 

Post graduation, Jimmy assumed greater responsibilities at Brooks Motor Company and the family ranch and facilitated a big move for the family business from downtown Pearsall to the corner of IH-35 where the location can be found today. Jimmy and Suzanne married in 1976 and began a life long journey of seeking adventure and traveling paths unknown worldwide. On their honeymoon, the couple drove a Jeep from south Texas deep into the interiors and coastlines of Mexico. The couple welcomed their first child Kelly Brooks in 1980 and their second child Jamie Brooks in 1984.

As a father, Jimmy was incredible and taught his children everyday life skills on the farm and ranch and at Brooks Motor Company. Jimmy coached Little League and utilized every opportunity to teach not only his children but the neighborhood kids how to fish at the coast or learn to drive at the ranch. As his children entered junior high and high school and started sports of their own, he was the ever present voice of encouragement and coach at the sidelines. Later in life, he enjoyed watching his grandson Blake Tatro play baseball and spent his days working at Brooks Motors and tending to the cattle ranch.

As a community servant, Jimmy ran Brooks Motors and provided mechanic services for everything from cars and trucks to tractors and hunting outfits. Meticulously honest, logical, and pragmatic, Jimmy was often the resource everyone could go to in town to ask questions about buying vehicles even if the person was not intending to be a customer. Jimmy earned the trust of the community and received multiple “Leaders of Distinction” awards from GMC for providing services for over 50+ years and awards from Massey Ferguson for 25+ years of service to the farming community. Brooks Motors also participated in the Automotive Service Education Program with St. Phillips College.

Above all, Jimmy was a man of all trades who could quickly fix a tractor, truck, jeep, vacuum cleaner or anything that broke. He had a passion for driving the road less traveled and loved tackling a wild adventure with his family. He loved to fish and shared that experience many times with some great friends and family members from the mountains of Montana to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. His love of traveling led to official aficionado status as he searched for the perfect local cuisine or libation. He was a loving husband and very attentive father and grandfather. He was a guayabera-wearing man with style and swagger. He was fiercely witty, extremely hilarious, and had an unwavering kindness which he shared with all he met. He hated the cold, but would brave it to ice fish while his children and wife caught some ski slopes. He was a fantastic father, husband, friend, and community servant and his family cannot wait to travel that road unpaved with him again one day soon.