Barbara Dunlap Brooke, 83

We are sad to announce the passing of Barbara Dunlap Brooke, 83, of Hayden Lake, Idaho, on Dec. 23, 2023. Born on Aug. 12, 1940, in Denver, Colo. Barbara grew up in Chico, California and graduated from Chico High School in 1958 and attended UC Berkeley, where she pledged AXO sorority and met Bob Brooke, her husband of 63 years. They were married in 1960 and moved to Hartford, Conn., before settling in Los Angeles, where she graduated from UCLA in 1962.  An English major, Barbara studied Latin and enjoyed a lifelong love of art and books, always happy to correct the grammar of friends and family. 

A loyal wife, Barbara supported her husband in his three-decades-long career at Traveler’s Insurance Company and the U.S. Army Reserve, moving with him four times between California and Connecticut as his job dictated. With them went their multiple dogs, cats, and her beloved Arabian horses. A devoted mother to her two children, Barbara volunteered as a school librarian, served as PTA President coached her daughter’s soccer team, wrangled a troop of Camp Fire Girls, and cheered them on at hundreds of sporting events. When her children got older, Barbara embarked on a long career as a real estate agent, eventually earning her broker license. In 2005, she and her husband followed their son’s family to Idaho, where they enjoyed their retirement years living on Hayden Lake and being members of The Hayden Lake Country Club.  

The couple loved traveling the world with friends, participating in local politics, taking sunset cocktail cruises on their “party barge,” and attending operas and plays.  One of her favorite activities was attending the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater. 

Barbara is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Brooke of New York; her son, Rob and daughter-in-law, Angela of Post Falls; three grandchildren, Rachel (Brooke) Berto, Hayden Brooke, and Alex Rosen; and brother, Tom Dunlap.  She was preceded in death by her husband and parents, Lois Taylor and Thomas P. Dunlap.

Please visit Barbara’s online memorial and sign her guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.