Palm Beach legend Bill Brooks “content” in life, disease and death
Tags: Ann Coulter, Bill Brooks, Curacao, Jose Lambiet's Page2Live, Town of Palm Beach, WPTV-Channel 5
| Monday 18 January 2010 10:11 am
Brooks, campaigning for town council in 2008
Former WPTV-Channel 5 general manager and Town of Palm Beach Councilman Bill Brooks, who died while on a trip to Curacao over the weekend, told me in one of his last interviews he was content and calm, even as he withered away.
At 76, Brooks went through round after round of chemo to fight off lymphoma, or cancer of the lymph nodes, propped up by the music of Beethoven and Mozart.
“The doctors are telling me . . . we can beat this thing,” Brooks told me from his Seabreeze Avenue home in July.
As the treatment wreaked havoc on his immune system, the gregarious people-person Brooks was stuck at home for months at a time.
Then, Brooks, who left the Catholic priesthood in the 60s then married a former nun, Muffy, spent his days bathed in classical music and buried in books on history and spirituality. There was the occasional brief chat across the fence with his neighbor, Conservative populist writer Ann Coulter. And although Brooks didn’t necessarily subscribe to Coulter’s blue-collar rhetoric, Brooks would say of her: “She’s a beautiful woman. And nice, too!”
For more on Bill Brooks, click
“The first chemo knocked me on my fanny,” Brooks, one of the architects of Channel 5’s rise to one of the nation’s top-rated local stations, told me. “But I’m a fighter. There’s no whining here. Like Nike says, ‘Just do it.’”
And Brooks added with his trademark humor, and Boston accent, that ginger ale replaced whisky and wine, both longtime staples of his diet.
A four-term Town of Palm Beach councilman until he lost his re-election in 2008, Brooks told me he never suffered from serious illnesses. But finding out he was sick in early 2008 made the Boston Red Sox fan contemplate the true meaning of humility.
“I realized that, no matter how many press clippings you have about the things you’ve done, that’s insignificant when it comes to mortality.
“But I’m calm about it. Very content.”
Brooks passed while in his hotel with his wife on the West Indies island. Funeral arrangements are pending.
You’re going to rock the house in Heaven, Bill. Your legacy lives on.
Good manners never go out of style. One who is able to meet an opponent with grace and humility amid tragedy, disagreement or outright dislike is the rare gentleman or gentlewoman. Rest in Peace. CHEERS!
Bill Brooks was a truly beautiful human being.
Bill Brooks was a true gentleman, warm, funny, passionate, smart, kind, thoughtful and will be hugely missed on the island. Our prayers and sympathy to his wife Muffy.
Jose,
You described Bill Brooks in the fine terms that he was and always will be in our memories.. He is/was one of a kind!I believe that Muffy will be pleased as well. Thank you for summarizing all that he brought to and left in our community.
Sid Poe
Bill was a good man who made everybody feel good about life. Thanks for all the advice you gave me. Rest in PEACE!!
I’m a childhood pal of Bill’s from Boston . . . reading such lovely, touching tributes to my friend;
As I head off to one of my wife’s counsin’s funeral, I will remember Bill in my prayers;
God Bless you Bill! you’ll surely be missed.
Paul Croke
Scituate, MA
Ifirst met Bill and his beautiful wife Martha about 5 years ago at Shannon airport. They were on vacation in Ashford Castle and i was their chauffeur.Within 5 minutes i new i had met special people and Bills sense of humour and jokes started.Iwas to drive them for their tours in our beautiful countryside.In 13 years of driving thousands of people i had never met acouple like them.my job became a pleasure with Bill telling jokes and Marthas beautiful voice sesrenading me from the back seat.I couldnt believe i was being paid for this . We fast became good friends and every Christmas i looked forward to their visit little did i think 2009 was to be his last time.On the journey to dublin Bill asked if he could have mass in Ballinasloe as his Grandmother was Baptised there many years ago.Bill spoke to the priest and told him about his cancer and was blessed by the priest from the same Baptismal font as his grandmother.I always considered Bill and Martha my adopted american parents and will miss him dearly.Iknow his sense of humour will keep everybody in heaven amused Martha you were both blessed to have known each other and i was blessed to have known both of you.Ihope you will come back to ERIN as my house always has an open door. GO NDEANAIDH DIA TROCAIRE AR A NHAINM [MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON HIS NAME GAELIC] YOUR ADOPTED IRISH SON EAMON