Celbrating the Life of Cecelia Juanita Brooks, July 27, 1933 - September 5, 2012, Homegoing Service, Saturday, September 15, 2012 11:00 AM, Fort Street United Methodist Church 562 Boulevard, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, Reverend dr. Joseph K. Crawford, Sr., Pastor

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On the day in which you left us

I heard an angel cry

And beheld a thousand hosts of Heaven

That were proudly standing by.

'T'here appeared a mighty cherub

Who read this great decree

"Go and seek out my faithful servant

And bring her here to me" !

Michael's army prepared for battle

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To defend this noble cause

For this child of God, who kept "The Faith"

And walked in all His laws

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A chariot stood waiting

With Honor Guards galore

And thus began your trip to Glory

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Who could ask for something more?

Copyrighl August, 2012

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Written by : Lonnie Budro

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United Methodist Men and Women Calvin Henry, Warren Wiseman and Shelton Turner

For all who have shown our family so much love and compassion for our great loss and to all who have offered words of encouragement and prayer, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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ceece&u :7~ ~~ :74 2?; 19JJ - Q/~ ~ 2012
Homegoing Service Saturday, September 15, 2012
11:00 AM
Fort Street United Methodist Church 562 Boulevard, NE Atlanta, GA 30308
Reverend Dr. Joseph K. Crawford, Sr., Pastor

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She was a first lady. A matriarch. Honorable. Charitable. Like an endless well, Mrs. Cecelia Juanita
Brooks was forever giving of herself as wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, confidante, teacher, and '{I
caretaker to a vast community. She didn't just spew that it was better to give than receive; she lived it

~ Her values were ever present. With God first, Cecelia's principles of family, forgiveness, charity, and

((( community, anchored her like a solid four-legged chair that had been passed down from generation to ,_ }
\ ; generation. Through example, she taught that forgiveness should always be the first option when dealing with j1/

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people, believing that there is redemption for everyone when given a chance. "Life is ajourney and we all make mistakes," Cecelia would say when facing one of life's most trying moments. "But, the beauty of God is

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d redemption-being able to grow from our mistakes. Learn from them." This is how CeceliaJuanita Brooks lived ~

her life. All who knew her can attest that Cecelia was a God-fearing and God-loving woman.

Unmoved in her faith,

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Cecelia was perpetually spreading the word, instilling hope and compassion in the cow1tless lives she impacted

with her gentle and giving spirit. She believed that all children deserved to be loved and taught to have faith in

sometlung greater than they. She could be heard saying, "Never put your faith in man, for you will be

disappointed every time. We are human. You must put your faith in God." And that she did.

One would hardly imagine that Cecelia Brooks was an only child, given the multitude of people who embraced her as family. Born in Albany, Georgia, Cecelia was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Bose Hardy. She was a faithful and loving wife of 45 years to Charles Wesley Brooks, and matriarch to her only son-Walter S. Randall III; three grandchildren-Sonda Randall Abernathy, Mentea Randall, and Candice Bucklen, and five great-grandchildren-Armani and Zion Aben1athy and Andrea, Andres and Calel Jones. Cecelia loved, cherished and cared for her family deeply, but her family extended well beyond this bloodline. Cecelia was forever being adopted by scores of people calling her mother, sister, and friend over the years. She gave love unconditionally, and those who were enriched by her presence, gave it right back.

One's life cannot be fully measured by external recog11itions and awards, although Cecelia received numerous awards for her years of dedicated service to helping children achieve academic excellence. She was Teacher of
the Year at Brewer Elementary, received a Dedicated Service Award from Tullwater Elementary for 34 years of service and Dedicated Service Award from Brewer Elementary for 21 years of service. She also received a Dedi-
cated Teacher Award for 52 years of Teaching Sunday School.

Cecelia's service to tl1e community and the church was unbound. An active member of Fort Street United Methodist Church, for more than 66 years, Cecelia held several positions-President of the Fort Street United Methodist Church Usher Board Number One, Chairman of the Nominating Comnlittee for the United Methodist Women, and Acting Assistant Superintendent of Sunday School. Cecelia was also an active member of the Atlanta area Big Sisters and Girl Scouts of America organizations. Yes, Cecelia Juanita Brooks was a first lady.

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Have you ever heard the saying, "Life is the dash"? The "dash" in this instance refers to the little line found

between the birthdate and the date that a person transitions from this world. This punctuation mark bookend by

those dates, symbolizes our activities and contributions to tl1e world during our time here. This includes the type

of lives we lived, our accomplishments, impact we've made, and seeds that we planted. Everything is generally
rv)) captured ber.veen those dates, but not with Mrs. Cecelia Juanita Brooks.
r)) Although Cecelia is no longer with us in tl1e physical form, the hearts and minds that she has touched over the
past 79 years will extend beyond 2012. Through tl1e lives of her surviving family members, students, friends, . J

t J and colleagues, the impact of Cecelia's dash continues. This is what makes her a first lady. She epitomized the
best that a woman could give in character, loyalty, service, comnutment, forgiveness, humility, and compassion. The best that we can do in this time that we have on this world is to improve tl1e lives of those around us ~
now, and those who are yet to come. Cecelia Juanita Brooks was a shining example of this life's

aspiration. She made the world a better place.

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#~ r~W:t::lo::e~ryofr:::~liaJu:::r::' a;~ady~~ ~~

Processional................................."We'll Understand It Better By and By"............................................ ..
Greetings
Hyr11n of Praise.......................................... "Blessed Assurance".................................................. No. 369
Prayer................................................................................................Reverend Hern1an "Skip" Mason, Jr.
Scripture Lessons Old Testament: Psalm 139:1-18 New Testament: Ron1ans 8:28-39
Poen1....................................................................................................................Mr. Armani]. Abernailiy
Remarks: (Please Lin1it To Two Minutes)
Solo........................................................"His Eye Is On ilie Sparrow"..........................Ms. Chaneta Forts
Eulogy..................................................."A Saint On the Move"........Reverend Dr. joseph Crawford, Sr.
Acknowledgen1ents..................................................................................................Donald Trimble Staff
Recessional............................................"When We All Get to Heaven"....................................... No. 701
Interment Lincoln Cemetery 2275]oseph E. Boone Blvd., NW Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Repast: A repast will be served at Fort Str,e. et UMC after ilie interment.