Brook Jackson Harris

Hello, many of you know me, but I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Brook. While this is actually a farewell, we all knew a different side to him, and I would like to share a little bit about the Brook I knew.

Brook was pure magic, in nearly all of my early childhood memories and beyond, his ability to turn scary things into adventures and put a smile on my face and everyone's around him was a super power. Brook could morph any situation into something fun, and not only did it come naturally, he made it look so easy. He was the coolest human I knew and he was my hero.

Throughout childhood and his teen years, I remember he fell in love with baseball. The Oakland A's were his team and he loved Mark McGwire. Jose Canseco was on his list, too, but Mark McGwire was his favorite player, ever. He begrudgingly took me along to the baseball card spots in Kodiak and he would hope for good cards in the card packs! Sometimes, he got lucky. Mostly, we just ate candy.

Brook was an artist from the time he could draw. I was fascinated at his neat and orderly art supplies and how he could draw a whole human, complete with emotions, with a pencil. My knowledge of his art is limited to what he did into his teens, however, he was so gifted. Many people smile or get excited when they finish something, Brook would take a deep breath and somehow his whole body would relax, like the creation was finally given life only when Brook released it. It was amazing.

In Brook's late teen years, he began experiencing challenges that led doctors to diagnose him with Schizophrenia. While there were many things that seemed to be happening at once, the Brook I knew and loved began to recede. Over the years, Brook evolved with his condition with a quiet strength and an ever present smile.

Eventually, Brook reunited with our father and our older brother. We were blessed to not only have a Dad who raised us in Kodiak, but our Father who lived in Anchorage, as well. Our older brother, Mark, was Brook's hero. He was the one who created magic for Brook, and taught him how to be an amazing big brother, and they both share the ability to create magic from most cases, nothing, but at the very least, the ordinary. I wonder if his favorite baseball player was his favorite not only because he was rad, but because he shared a name with one of his favorite people? Brook mitigated his illness in the best possible way, and when he would return with a joke and smile, and likely wanting a cigarette, Mark would continue to be a hero for him, even now.

On September 6, 2024, police notified my brother Mark, that our brother Brook had passed away. After years of mitigating ceaseless challenges, Brook passed gently away in his sleep in his own bed - warm, comfortable, and safe. From that moment on, Mark has worked endlessly to continue to take care of our brother, and I am forever grateful.

While these funds are being utilized to care for Brooks' final arrangements, any excess will be donated to services and charities that supported Brook and others within this vulnerable community.