Ms. Bertha Lee Brooks

In Loving Memory; On a hot July 22, 1942 day in rural Lanier County, Georgia, Rebertha and Henry L. Sirmans welcomed an addition to their new family. Bertha Lee Sirmans arrived and began life as the youngest Sirmans. Life in South Georgia wasn't the greatest so at the insistence of our Mother that we "Make a change", our Father, Henry and his brother Rowan followed the Great Migration and rumors of factory jobs in Detroit. Fortune smiled on these efforts for jobs were indeed found and the family was reunited in Detroit in November, 1947. With stable employment and the two siblings in school the Sirmans family established a presence in Detroit. However, that stability was not to be continued for Bertha Lee's position as the youngest member was soon interrupted by my arrival in 1948. My sister now had a baby brother to replace any dolls that may have had her attention. As earlier as I can remember my dear sister supplemented the love that permeated our family. She was a protector and teacher. As time passed and we all matriculated through school. I remember being so proud of my older brother and sister as they navigated the challenges of high school Sam in Northern and Bertha graduating from Northeastern in 1960. Our stability was however interrupted by having to move from our stable and secure neighborhood to new territories and domiciles due to urban reorganization. It was here that we moved from the east side to the west side. That stable family we had known began to unravel and found my brother away in the service of the country, my father and mother's relationship disintegrating and my beloved sister making a decision to join our brother by enlisting in the military in 1962. Unbeknownst to anyone this decision was to prepare my sister for a career that would take her and her future family on a comfortable journey into the future for it was here she obtained the skills and certifications of an Operating Room Technician. Also, while in the service, Bertha met and married the father of her two beautiful children Charles Dwayne and Cassandra Ann who survive her. I've only known her to work in two places Detroit Memorial Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital. Bertha was never satisfied or complacent. She continued to pursue educational and professional excellence by being a part of WCCCD's first nursing class providing that institution accreditation in June of 1974 and obtaining an Associate of Arts in Nursing. She traveled extensively throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Australia. Her love of the casino was unmatched. My sister for my entire life remained my major supporter and stalwart of the family. Her physical presence will be missed but her memory will forever remain alive.

Ms. Bertha Lee Brooks

July 22, 1942 - August 13, 2019