Brian Lee Rooke's Obituary
Brian Lee Rooke
1956 - 2021
Brian Lee Rooke passed away at his home in Provo on Thursday March 25, 2021. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia on November 21, 1956 to Lee Terrance Rooke and Shirley Elizabeth Grant. He was raised in Whitehall, New York then at age 17 served in the Navy for two years. After military service Brian moved to Florida where he found and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brian moved to Provo Utah as a young adult. In June 1985, he married Lana Rennee Luckau. Their marriage lasted twelve years, and from that union came his beautiful daughter Magan, the pride of his life. On July 14, 2020, Brian married his sweetheart of 9 years Elizabeth Ann Jones Weeks.
Brian worked his early adult years in construction. After completing the Electronics program at Utah Technical College, he started ABC Electronics. He loved the challenge that came from running his own business and repairing electronic equipment, specializing in TV Repair. The last portion of his life Brian drove professionally and obtained his CDL.
Brian was known for his humor, attitude of service and directness of speech. He lived in the same neighborhood in Provo for over 30 years serving in the church as a ward missionary, stake missionary, young men’s leader, and with his priesthood quorums. He served many years in the single adult program of the church where he loved to dance, tell jokes, help people laugh and silently serve. Brian made friendships that stood the test of time. He will be missed.
Brian is survived by his wife Liz, his two siblings Gary Paul (Dolly) Rooke and Tammy Jean Rooke (Stanley Flewelling), his daughter Magan Helene Rooke, and his grandchildren Cambry and Cooper.
The family would like to thank Encompass Hospice and particularly Nancy, Brian’s nurse and Kami, his massage therapist, who lifted Brian’s spirits and brought peace in his final days.
Brian requested no funeral service. His ashes will be buried in the Monroe City Cemetery.
TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS
Rick came to the house to take Brian for a cruise in his convertible. They cranked the music and remembered the good old times. Rick and Brian worked together in the TV Repair business. Bouncing ideas off each other, sharing tricks, and watching 007 movies to check that the VCR or TV was working correctly. Brian was always grateful for Rick’s friendship. ~Liz
I’ve been Brian’s neighbor for years. He was always willing to help me or just have a good conversation. He will be greatly missed. ~Julie Daybell
I was heartbroken to hear this news. Over the years I knew Brian, he was a faithful Home Teacher and a good friend. God be with you till we meet again my friend ~ Douglas Hall
My Tribute to Brian spans over 30 years of friendship and fellowship. I first met Brian when he and his family showed up at our front door and announced that they had been assigned to be our families home teachers. We were both veteran’s and hit it off at that first visit. since that time, we have remained very close brothers with common callings in the ward. He will be very missed by his wife and many long-time friends. God speed my dear friend and brother. ~ Tom Bennett
He always made me laugh. He had the best sense of humor. One of my best friends. I will forever miss him. This was short and sweet; I could write a book on the memories that we shared. ~Maura O’Bryan
Brian was one of our first real friends when we moved into the neighborhood five years ago. He was the first person to welcome us into church. He was also the first person over for dinner. He stayed late teaching us how to play Rummikub. We enjoyed many late nights playing games and talking about life and work. Brian was very relatable and had a story or experience to go along with every situation. He had a gift for connecting with people and making them smile and laugh. Evidence of his connection and love of other people was his service towards them. On multiple occasions we received a surprise visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause. Brian would start growing out his hair in august and dye it white so he could fit the part by December. He also made a routine visit to every member of our Elders Quorum on their birthdays to drop off a candy bar. He loved life and he loved serving others. I'll end by saying that Brian was also an example to me of enduring to the end and being committed to the Lord, even while suffering intense health challenges. Brian would walk to church and join in our conversations despite not being able to breathe and all the while cracking jokes or wearing a smile on his face. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your service and your friendship. You will be missed dear brother. May you breathe easy, the fresh coastal air of distant shores till we meet again. ~Trijsten and Sarah Leach
I have many memories of Brian and the times we spent together; a couple stick out more than the others. More recently was when he came to Manti and we went up the mountain. He really enjoyed that; it was a great day. To see someone else enjoy the mountain as much as I do. This trip we stopped at a lake to go fishing, Brian caught all the fish that day, he could not keep the fish off his line. I didn’t catch anything. The rest of the day he gave me a hard time about being the mighty fisherman and how he out fished me.
Another memory was when we were back in school at Utah Valley Technical college. We went to midway to the hot spring. On our way home, it was late, and the transmission went out in his car. We were able to get it pushed off the road and started walking. Not having cell phones back then we had to walk about two miles, until we got back into town. We weren’t sure who to call, but we knew we needed a phone. We saw a Domino’s pizza that was still open, we went in to see if we could use their phone, but they would not let us. So not having many choices Bryan said let’s order a pizza “delivered”, we placed a pizza order delivered to our apartment. We then rode home with the pizza delivery driver. It was pretty funny and a great idea. Brian was always clever when it came to things like that. Brian was a really great friend and I will miss him. ~Fenton DeMill
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