New York mourns longtime Bluewater sailor

Dr. George W. Brooks died peacefully at his home in Bronxville on December 17, 2013, at the age of 95.

He is survived by his second wife, Carol Taylor-Brooks and his daughter, Martha Neumeister (James). Others include his grandchildren: Charles Neumeister (Marjorie), Megan Neumeister (Christopher Brueningsen) and Anne Di Mauro (Steven) and three great-grandsons. He is also survived by his second wife's children: Catherine Hawkins, Elizabeth Aherne, Suzanne Singson, Dr. John Taylor, and his nieces and nephews and their families.

Dr. Brooks' first wife, Ann P. Brooks, died in November, 2002. With their young daughter, they moved to Bronxville in October, 1949, when Dr. Brooks set up his practice of General Surgery at Lawrence Hospital. He married Carol Taylor in August, 2005.

Dr. Brooks was born and raised in Elmira, New York. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan where he also received his medical degree in 1943. He served as a medical officer in the United States Army and his surgical practice spanned forty years in Bronxville. He was a member of the Westchester Surgical Society and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Brooks was a passionate sailor and an esteemed member of the Larchmont Yacht Club for seventy years. He owned the yawl "Black Watch" for fifty years. With his family, he cruised up and down the New England coast, to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Bermuda and the Azores. Long recognized for training teenaged boys to sail and crew aboard his boat, Dr. Brooks prided himself on never having professional crew and doing all of the boat's maintenance himself. He was also a member of the Storm Trysail Club and the Cruising Club of America. He was an accomplished wood worker and lover of music and opera.

Funeral services will be held at Christ Church Bronxville on Saturday, December 21, at 2:00 PM. Internment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, NY.

Memorial donations may be made to the Brooks Organ Fund of Christ Church Bronxville, 17 Sagamore Road, Bronxville, NY, 10708 or Jansen Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester.

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