Monroe - Tom Brooke learned woodworking as a college student.
"It was probably 50 years ago. I worked for Ayotte in the summer, and Ayotte was building houses,” Brooke said of Monroe.
It was definitely a useful skill. For more than 30 years, the Bock company has been producing a variety of products from local wood. He made rocking horses for the children of family and friends, as well as wooden frames for newspaper clippings of star high school athletes.
"It's the little things," said Brooke.
He built the table for his brother, actor Hunter Brooks. A versatile wooden acoustic guitar.
"His talent continues," Hunter Brooks said.
Brooke made the baseball table in honor of her nephew, Brian Vanderlaan, who died in a car accident at the age of 17. It turned up at a Michigan State University memorabilia auction.
"Cal Ripken came to the ceremony and signed it," Brook said.
But most of Brook's woodworking efforts went to the needs of local churches. Over the years, he regularly attended two Monroe parishes: St. Ann and St. Challenged himself to do things for Mary.
For Saint Anne, he created a wooden panel depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary and her mother Saint Anne as a child.
"It was in 2022, they were celebrating the 75th anniversary of St. Anne's," Brook said. "I was checking Facebook. I found a sculpture that someone made. I hired a woman from Yale named Cathy Wise and she painted it. All I had to do was place the pieces where she drew them. Tree 16 o "There are more types".
Brook sawed the wood with a jigsaw and then put it together like a puzzle.
Brooke said: “I also made the chandeliers for St Anne's. "They also needed an exhibition of the relics of St. Anna. I did it."
The relic in the church is a 4-inch fragment of St. Anne's arm bone, donated to the church in 1970 by the family of Bernard J. Felder. Originally located in Rome, the relic arrived in Quebec in 1892 as a gift from Pope Leo XIII. Brook created a frame for the relic and two wooden plaques with information about the prayers and relics of St. Anne.
More than 10 years ago, Brook began making small crosses for St. Mary's Catholic Church. Crosses are dedicated to deceased members of the church.
“It was done by another church. They asked me to make a table and a cross. I made about 1500 crosses. It took a long time. "I did 500 at a time," Brooke said. - They are engraved with the deceased's name and date, along with a dove, and they say, "St. Mary's, Monroe, Michigan."
In November, Brooke finished a wooden stand for St. Mary's Book of Remembrance. This is prominently displayed in the mihrab.
"They wanted something to showcase the book. They kept him and took him out for burial. The family signs the deceased's name and date of death. Now they're putting the book on a pedestal,” Brooke said.
The pastor of the church, the Reverend David Bergard, is satisfied with the fabric.
“We thank God for the work of Tom Brock who gave his time, talent and treasure to build this stand. It will be a constant reminder to pray for all souls because God has returned to Himself,” said Burghardt.
A few years ago, Brooke used cherry wood to create a screen for the St. Mary Parish Life Center. Parts recognize sponsors of church reform efforts.
In all church projects, Brooke and the churches work on ideas together.
"They have opinions, and I have opinions," Brook said.
The craftsman works mainly in his garage, although he also has a workshop in the basement where he does some finishing work. Their tools include saws, milling machines, planers and grinders. It is a source of local wood. Some are donated, but most are purchased.
"I don't mind buying a little good wood," he said. “90 percent come from this area. Some from Toledo. I bought the oak and cherry from Toledo Plywood, says Brooke. - Several years ago, I bought lumber from a farmer from Newport, Rollin Burton. I got something from Bob Weitzner. He recently graduated. There were several trees on his farm. They were cut and polished from all kinds of cherry and oak. "Bob Tarrant of Dundee, a professor at Monroe County Community College and a carpenter, gave me a few pieces."
Brooke loves seeing trees transformed into works of art.
"A tree can grow and create something that people will appreciate," he said.
Brooke graduated from Western Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin. He taught history and reading. He later served as executive vice president of Monroe Bank \u0026 Trust.
Over the years, he has built several homes for his family, including Mary, his wife of 53 years, and Deona de Munro, the adopted daughter of a couple from Ecuador.
The first house was on Father Brooke's estate in Maby. The latter was the present home of the family.
“I didn't do the job, but I fired him. "I'm getting old and I can't do everything anymore," he said.
Brooke counts woodworking as one of her contributions to the church.
“I've loved the church since I was a kid on the farm. We didn't have much money. My mom always baked bread. We want to go to church every Sunday. I was a servant. I brought bread, rolls and eggs to the priest. It was part of our fondue. I loved it,” Brooke said.
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Several members of his family took the oath and joined the ministry. Brook himself continued to contribute to the life of the church as a minister.
"I hope God will give me a few more years to do my job. "I still have a lot of work to do," Brook said.
- Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared in The Monroe News: Paid work is Tom Brock's contribution to the church.
