Kathy Brooks, 72, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., passed away Sunday, December 22, 2019.
She was born in Baltimore, Md. on October 3, 1947 to the late Catherine Furlong Paulus and the late Joseph Paulus. A summa cum laude graduate of Towson State University in 1969, she was class valedictorian and earned a Bachelor of Science in English and Secondary Education. Prior to moving to Fernandina Beach in 2000, Kathy was a resident of Baltimore, where she held numerous teaching positions at Eastern High School and was a health educator for the American Lung Association, teacher and director at Loch Raven United Methodist Preschool and St. Jerome’s Head Start Catholic Charities. While on the island, she worked as a teacher at St. Michael Academy and then as assistant at the Nassau County Volunteer Center.
Kathy also volunteered with many organizations including Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, Wild Amelia, Reading Pals of Fernandina Beach, Our Daily Bread, Villa Julie College Advisory Board, Maryland Public Health Administration Board of Directors, and Towson University Alumni Association.
Kathy was an exemplary educator for more than 36 years. She truly enjoyed her profession and relished the opportunity to work with so many children. Additionally, Kathy was a voracious reader and photographer who loved to travel, spend time in nature, and advocate for many social causes.
Kathy was preceded in death by her brothers, Stanley and Robert Paulus of Baltimore.
She is survived by her husband of 46 years, John Brooks; her daughter, Megann and husband Jeremy; and grandchildren, Everett, Isla and Logan Driver.
Services to remember and celebrate Kathy’s life will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, January 2, 2020 at Burgess Chapel of Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors, located at 1305 Atlantic Ave. in Fernandina Beach. The family will begin receiving friends at 4 p.m.
The family asks that donations be made in her memory to the National Parks Foundation at 1110 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005 or the Nassau Humane Society at 641 Airport Road, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors