Alma Lou Brooks' Obituary
Alma Louise (Diehl) Brooks was born on September 8, 1934, in Perryton, Texas to Alvin and Mozell (Barnard) Diehl. She was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents, Aaron and Lena Diehl and Speed and Kate Barnard. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Ed Brooks.
She is survived by two daughters, Deanna Doshier and Diane Sachs, one stepdaughter, Nancy Moore and her husband, Bill Moore. She has five grandchildren: Jason (and his wife, Jenny) Sachs, Jennifer Lowery, Joshua Scott, Vanessa (and her husband, David) Schafer, Adam (and his wife, Stacey) Moore. She has 12 great grandchildren: Grant and Reece Sachs, Jordan Holloway, Jasmine Scott, Jericho Lowery, Noah and Luke Scott, Eli and Mikah Schafer, Ryker, Perry and Tenley Moore and great-great grandson, Percy Hingle.
She is also survived by her beloved church family at Durham Free Will Baptist Church of which she has been a devoted attendee for multiple decades.
Alma Lou passed away peacefully at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas on August 21st, 2025. She was 90 years, 11 months and 13 days old.
Alma Lou was a kind and loving mother, daughter, grandmother, wife, friend and loved the Lord with all her heart. She always put others first and did everything for her family sometimes at her own expense. She was a selfless woman with the biggest heart for Jesus, and she exemplified her faith in all she did. She was a prayer warrior her entire life.
After graduating from Perryton High school in Texas, Alma Lou attended Apostolic Faith Bible college. She moved to Arkansas with her parents in 1953 where she would create a home and life for herself and family.
Alma Lou was an avid gardener with an amazing green thumb. She taught Sunday School and loved sharing her faith with the children and everyone. Alma Lou worked hard her entire life at everything she was involved in including her dedicated involvement in the White River EPA, one of her proudest accomplishments. She helped lead the fight against the landfill on Hobbs Mountain so we could all have clean drinking water. Alma Lou wrote a book called “The Landfill Fight (As I Remember It)” which will be available at the Elkins Public Library soon. In addition to raising a family, tending to her garden, and spending hours serving her church she also worked at Kerney’s for 15 years.
Alma Lou was also known for her amazing cooking and baking skills. Her specialties included so many things but the one that comes to mind are her famous homemade rolls. They rivaled anything you have ever tasted. She also made a delicious Monkey Bread, lasagna and cherry supreme. Every meal had a full menu. For decades, every Christmas season she made candy and sweet bread for her family, neighbors and friends. She spent hours in her kitchen making sure everything was perfect.
Alma Lou also had an ornery side enjoying sweet little pranks with family including wrapping Christmas gifts in cereal boxes, putting trick candles on cakes and so much more. Her laughter and smile filled the room. During Christmas time, she would have every family member open their cards and gifts one by one, always youngest to oldest, so she could make sure to give them her full attention and all her love.
Her favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”
Visitation will be on Wednesday, August 27th from 4:00-6:00pm at Moore’s Chapel in Fayetteville. The funeral will be Thursday, August 28th at 10:00am at Alma’s beloved Durham Freewill Baptist Church, with burial to follow at McCord Cemetery.
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