THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEING FRED BROOKOVER PASSES AWAY

 

Perhaps the friendliest and most generous person to ever work at the BJ, Super Santa and volunteer Fred Brookover, retired BJ Circulation truck driver, passed away Friday, May 21 at his Kississimmee, Florida home.

He was born January 31, 1945 to Fred W. Brookover, Sr. and Katherine Falkenstein Brookover. Fred was 76.

His widow is Dolores Ann Campanale Brookover, whose friends call her Dee. They were married in 1973 in Akron’s St. Anthony Church.

Their children, all born in Akron St. Thomas Hospital, are Theresa Marie Brookover Hunsucker, Phil Bernard Brookover and the late Bianca Brookover.

Former BJ information technology (computers whiz for laymen) chief Bob Tigelman and former BJ newsroom secretary Mary Ann Taray are Fred’s cousins. Bob married Colleen Murphy Tigelman, one of 5 Features Editors I worked with at 44 E. Exchange Street.

Fred from Firestone Park joined the BJ Circulation Department as a driver in 1986. He previously drove for DeLuca Distributing Company for 17 years.

He retired from Beacon Journal on March 31, 2002 with 16 years of service

Fred was an active community volunteer, in particular with the Green Kiwanis where he was Santa Claus delivering packages to Green children secretly provided by their parents with Fred’s children Theresa and Phil as his elves and Dolores driving the van, chairman of the holiday food baskets and was a fundraiser for the Interval Brotherhood Home. He and his wife also volunteered at the Akron Civic Theatre. Fred also was Santa Claus at BJ holiday parties. He was built for the part.

Fred turned his tragedy – a leg he lost when a drunk driver who died in the accident crashed into Fred’s vehicle – into an undeniable and impressive teaching lesson to high school students getting ready for prom night. At a Students Against Drunk Driving meeting Fred would talk about the dangers of drinking while driving and emphasize the point at the end of the chat by exposing his prosthetic leg. Even the football players cried. Profound point taken. Fred may have saved some young lives.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Green village council in 1988 in the new village's first municipal election.

Like me, Fred was hooked on golfing. And like me, whacking the ball in Ohio and Florida.

Fred and Dee later moved to Conway, S.C., in the Myrtle Beach area. And then to Florida.

Fisk Funeral Home in St. Cloud, Florida, which is 26 miles southeast of Orlando and 7 miles from Kissimmee on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in northern Osceola County, handled Fred’s arrangements and cremation.

Dee/Dolores’ parents are Mary Adelaide Gasbarro Campanale and Philip Edmundo Campanale. They lived in  Brimfield when the obituary was published for Dolores’ uncle, John J. Gasbarro of Cuyahoga Falls, who passed away in 1998 after 30 years with the Goodyear Aerospace maintenance department.

Dee is a graduate of Akron St. Mary High School graduate, Class of 1965, and Hammell Actual Business College in 1966. Dolores relayed the information in this article to me through her former St. Mary’s classmate Paula Stone Tucker, who lives in The Villages, Florida. Dolores and Paula remained friends after their high school graduation.

 

There have been 4 deaths connected to St. Mary’s graduates recently. Not a good time for what I call The Belles of St. Mary’s.

 

Until 2008 Dee was office manager at Myrtle Beach Welcome in South Carolina which offers golf packages to travel agents in England for their clients.

Before that Dee was administrative assistant in engineering at Pneumatic Scale and even earlier invoice clerk at Ohio Edison in Akron from 1967 till 1976.

Paula and I helped Dee contact Rebel Travarez of Sound Publishing in Puget Sound, Washington, part of Canadian David Black’s empire that included Beacon Journal Publishing, which has filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying pensions once Black dumped the pensions into the Federal Pension Guarantee Corporation at taxpayers’ expense, for information about what assistance the former BJ owner would provide.

I have found Rebel the most caring and helpful member of David Black’s organization when BJ people call her about their pension, prescriptions, medical care and death benefits situation.

As if dealing with Fred’s passing and handling all the details isn’t burdensome enough Dee's shower stall floor filled with backed-up sewage. Fate piled on.

Fred’s information, as provided by his widow, Dee:

After a battle with cancer, Fred went to join his parents and brother Friday, May 21, 2021, age 76, at home in Kissimmee, FL. 

His deceased parents are Fred W Brookover, Sr. and Katherine (Falkenstein) Brookover 

Fred also was preceded in death by his sister, Bianca, who died in infancy; a brother, Don Brookover; a niece, Kimberly; mother- and father-in-law Phil & Mary Campanale. He joins with his precious dogs Lady and Friskie. 

We met at my cousin’s wedding in 1972 and from there on we traveled by car, ship and plane to many destinations, some to explore, family fun and some to golf. We started a New Year’s Day morning drive for breakfast in all directions in NE Ohio and back home for football. This was after a couple hours of sleep after his delivery of BJ newspapers. He never missed the activities of Theresa and Philip (Italian Cotillion, pompom, karate, football, baseball and choir). 

Employed by DeLuca Distributing until it closed and retired 2002 from Akron Beacon Journal as Circulation Driver. We moved to Myrtle Beach 2003 for 16 years for golf and moved around Christmas 2019 to Merritt Island with our son for R&R and made our home in Kissimmee in 2020. 

 Survived by devoted wife of 47 years Dolores (Campanale) Brookover; daughter Theresa (Chris) Hunsucker; son Philip, his fiancée Kendall Wulff and her son Wesley; sisters-in-law Cheryl Beale, Marie (Michael) Buehler, Phyllis (Mark) Craig; step nephews Shawn, Bryan and Jason Craig; step grandson  Christopher Hunsucker; nieces Barbara Brookover, her son Ryder, Jennifer (Pat) Archer, their children Nick and Kate; nephew David (Becky) Buehler and their sons Joey and Tommy;: many cousins, but especially Mary Ann Taray and Bob Tigelman; and one “Brother,” Sam Orlando and his wife Joanne. Many thanks for the faithful support of Mike Burch and Angelo Fortunato: and missed by our Zoe and grandpuppies Mojo and Gizmo. 

Fred coached St. Martha football, Firestone Park Pee Wee Football, was an assistant golf coach at Green High with his son playing. His big love was playing golf on many leagues and golf weeks in the area for the 2 of us and on vacations.

He was in Kiwanis where he very active in Key Club for Green Students to encourage volunteering; chaired committees (IBH fundraiser, Senior Amateur Golf week, Green Kiwanis Santa, BJ Christmas party and to Children Burn Unit with Theresa as his elf). We had fun nights as the family volunteered at the Akron Civic Center.

After his accident 1996, caused by a drunk driver (who died of his injuries), Fred lectured for S.A.D.D. (Students Against Drunk Driving) and at the end of the session showed them the result by exposing his prosthetic leg to the seniors before prom. The students thanked him and some football players were so touched that they cried. The BJ acknowledged his volunteering as the first Employee Volunteer of BJ. 

Our thanks to the Vitas Hospice home care team, especially his aide, Velma, nurse Lamary who understood him and served him as he wished. We want to thank so many that have supported us in this time -- classmates, friends, family, neighbors of the past and present. Your gestures of support are so many and so overwhelming.