BERLIN, Wis. — William “Bill” Brooks, who worked more than 30 years in the laundry industry, spanning a variety of markets, died Nov. 12 at the age of 62.
He was born Jan. 29, 1962, the son of Dick and Leanne Brooks. He attended Berlin High School, then Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn., where he played football. While studying at Concordia, he met Amy Meyer. They were married April 23, 1988, and raised two sons, Steven and Michael.
Brooks began his work life in sales at McGregor Sand-Knit in Berlin. He started with Alliance Laundry Systems, based in Ripon, Wis., in 1990 in the Technical Service department and rapidly advanced before joining the UniMac team as national accounts sales manager. He was promoted in 2011 to UniMac North America sales manager, and rounded out his last few years with Alliance as director – Customer Solutions and Business Development, retiring in May 2022.
As a Berlin volunteer firefighter of 36 years, Brooks was passionate about driving UniMac’s development of a total solutions approach to cleaning firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) to help keep fellow firefighters safe.
“Bill’s professionalism and good humor made him a trusted partner in the laundry business, with so many considering him not just a colleague, but a friend,” says Mike Schoeb, CEO of Alliance Laundry Systems. “He will be missed.”
“I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that Bill made an impact on everyone he ever met. He was filled with life and made anyone he met feel like the most important person in the room. That’s a truly rare trait,” adds Craig Dakauskas, senior vice president, Americas Commercial, Alliance Laundry Systems.
Brooks was preceded in death by his parents and by an unborn grandchild.
Surviving him are his wife, Amy; sons Steven (Melanie) and Michael (AJ); granddaughters Everly and Hallie; brothers Tom (Georgia) Brooks and Bob (Laurie) Brooks; sisters Terri (Don) Osterberg, Cathy (Rob) Hargrave and Kelly (Tom) Krause; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were conducted Nov. 20 at St. John Lutheran Church, followed by a private inurnment.
The family asks that monetary donations be made in Brooks’ memory to the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department, 226 Spring St., Berlin, WI 54923, or the St. John Lutheran Church or School, 168 Mound St., Berlin, WI 54923.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
