Lora Lee Brooks

Lora Lee (Cook) Brooks, age 79, died Tuesday, October 4, 2005 surrounded by her family. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, October 8th at 11 a.m. at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene, with Dr. Larry McGraw officiating and under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home. Lora Lee's nephews will serve as Pallbearers and Honorary Pallbearers will be the members of P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter CK. Burial will follow in the Abilene Municipal Cemetery, Cedar Park Section. Visitation will be held Friday, October 7th from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Rd., Abilene, TX. A native Abilenian, Lora Lee was born on December 13, 1925 to parents L.P. Cook and Maudine Person Cook. She graduated from Abilene High School and obtained a B.S. Degree from Texas State College for Women in Denton. Upon graduation, she taught school for two years in Port Arthur, and then became the director of the Camp Fire Girls for the Beaumont, Texas region. She met her husband, Brian C. Brooks, while traveling from Beaumont to Abilene. That chance meeting turned into a partnership lasting fifty-six years. Lora Lee was an avid card player in two ladies poker groups and was a member of the Wednesday Bridge Club for forty-five years. She and her husband enjoyed dancing and were members of the Slipper Club and the Knickerbocker Club. She was a well received book reviewer with a focus on the humorous. Throughout her life she was active in a wide range of activities including the campaigns of Ralph Yarborough and Lyndon Johnson, Abilene CommunityTheater, YMCA's Tri-Hi-Y, Boys and Girls Club of Abilene, and the Paramount Theatre. She was a founding member of the American Cancer Society of Taylor County. Her many talents enabled her to take a leadership role in multiple organizations including Athenian Study Club, Girl Scouts of America, Southern Baptist Girls Auxiliary and P.E.O. Sisterhood. Lora Lee's lifelong passion for the educational advancement of women was fulfilled through her forty-two years of service in the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Abilene and attended Primetime Sunday School Class. Lora Lee Brooks was a woman who lived her life with faith, compassion, humor and grace. Lora Lee is survived and lovingly remembered by her husband, of fifty-six years, Brian C. Brooks; three daughters: Debby and husband, Dennis Zuehlke, of Lubbock; Briana Brooks, of San Antonio; and Lori and husband, Sully Sullivan, of Dallas. Also a brother: Leland P. Cook and wife, Sue, of Corsicana; and two sisters: Carole and husband, Tom Troupe, of Los Angeles, California; Regina and husband, B.G. Cocanougher, of Decatur. Also a granddaughter: Alycia Zuehlke, of College Station; special family friend, Peg Pappas, of San Antonio; and one niece and seven nephews. Memorials may be sent to P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter CK, 3465 S. 6th, Abilene, Texas 79605.