CHARLES BROOKE

On Thursday evening October 18, Chuck Brooke passed away peacefully at Antelope Valley Hospital. He succumbed to complications arising from his long struggle with his quadriplegia. Chuck was 65.

Charles "Chuck" Anthony Paul Brooke was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota on October 3, 1953 to his parents, Florence and Bob Brooke. Following the death of his father in June 1955, Chuck eventually relocated with his mother and siblings to Los Angeles, California in June 1958. In 7th grade, Chuck's lifelong passion for music was kindled. He began his music journey playing the clarinet, and due to his prodigious natural aptitude, he excelled rapidly on into high school where he soon took up the saxophone.

In his senior year, he heard the call of the music profession and left Van Nuys High School for greener pastures within the flourishing music culture of Los Angeles. He soon joined the musicians union, and was not only playing back-up for notables of the time such as Elvin Bishop, the Boppers, Omega and others, but also was in the recording studio. In time, Chuck was writing and producing and collaborating on music with his own bands.This love of music sustained him through the mid-70's and on into the 80's and mid 90's.

Then tragedy struck, and Chuck's accident left him in a "limited" quadriplegic state with the use of only a few fingers on each hand, and unable to play his beloved instruments. Despite his limitations, he was ever the resourceful optimist and used his mental energy in varied numerous pursuits. Most recently he was pursuing a degree by taking online classes at the University of Phoenix.

Chuck's courageous daily journey of living honestly with his condition despite his physical limitations has been an inspiration to us all. Chuck was known for his intelligence, his gentle sense of humor, his openness to others, his love of cats, his wide ranging knowledge and conversations on a variety of topics, and his love and loyalty to all whom he befriended. We are grieving this loss and will miss him dearly and yet are grateful that he has been released to walk and run free once again!!!

Chuck is survived by his two siblings Bob Brooke (and Diann) and Vickie Grigsby (and John) all residing in Texas, and numerous nephews, nieces, two grandnieces, aunts, uncles, and cousins. His mother and father preceeded him in death. A private family graveside service will take place at the time of interment at St Mary's Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the near future.

A memorial for Chuck will take place on Thursday Oct 25 from 7 to 8 pm at Halley-Olsen-Murphy Funerals and Cremations, Lancaster, California, 4831 N. Cedar Ave., Lancaster, CA 93534. Friends and family are welcome to attend and celebrate Chuck's life and are also invited to leave condolences here or to contact Vickie or Bob privately. We are grateful to each of you for touching Chuck's life!

Ever hopeful of the medical community finding a way to rehabilitate damaged spinal cords, we as a family want to honor Chuck's perpetual hope by asking that in lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions be made to help fund and further spinal cord research at https://www.wingsforlife.com/us/.