- Date Of Birth: November 1, 1935
- Date Of Death: August 18, 2021
- City: Rockview
- State: West Virginia
Edward Lee “Ed” Brooks, 85, of Palatka, passed from this life on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at Haven Hospice Roberts Care Center following a brief illness. Born in Rockview, West Virginia, he graduated from Pineville High School in 1953. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Kyoto, Japan in the U.S. Army Security Agency for 3 years. He was honorably discharged in April 1955. Ed moved to Palatka in 1960 and began working at Central States Diversified and later at Hudson Pulp & Paper Company. He served as a city commissioner in Palatka from 1970-74. Following his time with the city, Ed was the property appraiser for Putnam County from 1974-1980.
Ed then served from 1980-82 as the director of the Division of Ad Valorum Tax for the State of Florida. In 1984, Ed was elected to the office of Clerk of the Court for Putnam County and served until 2000 when he retired. At one point in his tenure as Clerk of the Courts, he was honored to serve as President of the Florida Court Clerk and Comptrollers Association. In 2004, Ed and Dolores moved to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where they lived until the devasting fire in Gatlinburg in 20016 destroyed everything they had.
They then returned to reside in Palatka. Ed had been very involved in the community, having been a member and past master of Palatka Lodge #34 F&AM, a Shriner and a member of the Sojourners, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Palatka, past Lt. Governor of division 18 of the Florida District of Kiwanis International and was involved in the Historical Society as well as numerous other organizations and positions within the community. Ed was also a licensed auctioneer and along with his wife Dolores, operated Pinnacle Auctions in Crescent City and in East Palatka.
Ed was a people person and thoroughly enjoyed the Friday and Saturday night crowds they had at the auctions. He was a Baptist and the grandson of a circuit-riding Baptist minister in West Virginia. Ed and Dolores adopted 15 cats during their marriage. He loved dogs and cats and raised beagles when living in West Virginia. He is survived by Amber, the cat he rescued from the fire in Gatlinburg.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lida Lee Brooks and Ella Verne Hill Brooks, a brother-in-law, Donald Schweitzer, and a nephew, Donald Schweitzer, Jr. aka “Buddy”.
