On Friday, September 2, James Guyer Brooks Jr., lovingly known as “Uncle Jim,” “Jger,” or simply “Dad,” peacefully passed away in his sleep at the age of 81.
Born in Orange, NJ on April 5, 1941, to Helen and James G Brooks Sr., Jim grew up playing tennis and football. He graduated in 1960 from Darrow School, a college preparatory school in New Lebanon, NY, and later served on the school’s board of trustees for several years. Jim made many life-long friends during his time at Darrow School; these friends were the source of fond memories Jim often shared with his family.
Jim was a man of diverse interests, and a man whose life had an equally diverse number of chapters and turns.
In the 1970s, Jim took up residence on the Snake River in Jackson Hole, WY. It was here, on the foothills of the Grand Teton Mountains, that he found a life-long love for Bernese Mountain Dogs, a breed of working dog from the Swiss Alps.
Jim was incredibly active in the Bernese Mountain Dog community in the 1970s and 1980s and was one of the earliest adopters of the breed in the United States, long before the breed exploded in popularity. Over the span of four decades, Jim cared for over a dozen Bernese Mountain Dogs, some of which won awards at various American Kennel Club shows across the country. These large “working class” dogs became a core part of Jim’s identity and a part of his family.
In his last few years in Wyoming, Jim also owned a Chinese restaurant, “China Dragon,” which operated for several years out of Jackson.
Jim eventually decided to move back to the East Coast, where he took on ownership stake in “The Raveled Sleave,” a restaurant located on 3rd Avenue and East 79th Street in Manhattan.
It was also on the East Coast that Jim decided to start his family. He was twice married, first to Margaret Briggs of Kenmore, NY. During this first marriage, he became the proud father of his two sons, James G. Brooks III of Rochester, NY and Tyler Briggs Brooks of Portland, ME.
Jim raised his two sons in the quiet suburb of Old Greenwich, CT and was always overjoyed to participate as a volunteer and chaperone for any activities his sons were involved in.
In the late 1990s, he married Mimi Mason of Greenwich, CT. Through this marriage, he welcomed a stepson, Garrison Gunter, into his loving family. One of Jim’s greatest attributes was the unabashed pride he lovingly displayed for his sons.
When he was not busy running restaurants, raising his children and Bernese Mountain Dogs, or playing tennis, Jim could be found collecting and dealing antiques, as well as passionately rooting for his beloved Denver Broncos football team.
Jim spent the final few years of his life in Westbrook, ME, and received weekly visits and loving care from his younger son, Tyler.
He is survived by his older sister, Sally Smith of Southport, CT; as well as his sons, his former wives, and several other loving family members.
Jim’s ashes will be scattered over the waters of the Long Island Sound, a place where he took up residence and raised his family. A Private Gathering for immediate family will be held in the coming weeks.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations be made in Jim’s name to Darrow School via the school’s website.
