Helen Gadomski Brooks

Helen Gadomski Brooks, 96, died June 25, 2017, at Atwood's Personal Care Home in Kosciusko. She was born on January 29, 1921, in Greenfield, Massachusetts. She was predeceased by her husband William D. Brooks, son William D. Brooks, Jr., parents Stanley and Alexandra Boguslawski Gadomski, sisters Charlotte G. Joyce and Mary Ann G. Nickoski and brother Francis Gadomski She is survived by sisters, Edna G. Kunkel and Amelia G. Irby and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Brooks was proud of the Polish lineage she shared with Tadeusz Kosciuszko after whom her adoptive town was named. She worked in Washington, D.C. for the State Department during World War II before being transferred to Germany after the war. While there she met Bill Brooks who was serving in the Army. She loved to share her many stories of the aftermath of the war. She was the quintessential Ole Miss fan and rarely missed watching or listening to a ballgame. However, her interest was not limited to sports. After her son's death she established the Billy Brooks Band Scholarship at Ole Miss, because the band was such an important part of his life and she wanted other students to have that opportunity. She will be remembered for her very generous support of the Kosciusko Foundation for Excellence in Education (KFEE), a non-profit corporation set up in the 1980's with the purpose of creating a margin of excellence for the Kosciusko Public School System. She was enamored by this organization, which funds masters level scholarships for teachers and is known statewide for piloting and pioneering a Pre-K program that has enabled children to read at an earlier age. Another project of the KFEE was establishing the Gertrude Johnston Math Complex on the junior high campus, as well as, many other projects to support the school system. Those who knew her will miss her quick wit, which was evident to the very end. There will be a graveside service at Parkway Cemetery in Kosciusko on June 27 at 11:00 a.m.