Marian Kathleen (Koch) Brooks passed away peacefully on January 23rd, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was 83-years-old.

Marian was born on June 4th, 1942 to Peter and Alicia Koch in St. Paul, Oregon, and raised alongside her six siblings. As a Koch, she learned a love for St. Patrick's Day, family gatherings, and the history of her hometown. Marian attended school in St. Paul, graduating in 1960.

At just 16-years-old, Marian first met Lyle Brooks of Broadacres, when she saw a group of young men on horseback who called themselves The Black Hat Gang, and asked if she could ride double with someone. From then on, Lyle would ride 6 miles on horseback just to court her. The two were married in 1961 at 18-years-old, and hardly spent a day apart in the 64 years of marriage that followed. The pair moved to Denver, Colorado, where they welcomed their firstborn, Tony. A couple of years later, back in Broadacres, they completed their family with the birth of their daughter, Tani.

Marian worked as a bookkeeper for many years, sometimes hustling to hook up a horse trailer and load up a pony before work, so she could drop her kids off at daycare ready to ride. She did this while wearing a dress and heels. Marian baked and decorated extravagant wedding and birthday cakes for many. Growing up, Tony and Tani's friends knew that Lyle and Marian's house had an open door. When Tony and Tani found spouses of their own, Marian treated them as her own kids, but never let an opportunity to give Kim or Dan a hard time pass.

Marian was a very proud and loving grandmother to her five grandkids. As a grandma, she was known for hosting sleepovers with pancake breakfasts, decorating birthday cakes and working in the garden with bandanas around everyone's foreheads. She and Lyle never missed a ball game or event for their grandkids. Marian even volunteered in the library at the St. Paul Parochial School where her granddaughters were students. When Marian became a great-grandmother, she jumped at every chance to help out with the baby, then proceeded to spoil that great-grandkid with ice cream, cookies and songs.

She loved to travel. Marian and Lyle took many road trips by car or motorhome, happily bringing along family members if they liked. The pair took their whole family on a couple of epic trips to Hawaii and Mexico, and Marian made it to Ireland with her daughter and eldest granddaughter. The Brooks eventually achieved their goal of visiting all 50 states. They tried restaurants, stopped at casinos, and did some shopping along the way. They would bring home little trinkets for each grandkid, but Marian had a special eye for Christmas ornaments.

Marian was known for her contagious belly laugh, playful nature, love for kids, and fascination with ancestry. She struck up conversation with anyone she stood next to. She was kind-hearted and good-spirited. She will be tremendously missed by all who knew and loved her.

Cheers to Marian - may we say "yes" to adventure, love our families fiercely, celebrate every holiday, and enjoy the laughter that comes our way.

Marian is survived by her husband of 64 years, Lyle; siblings, Richard, Maurice and Patrick; children, Tony (Kim) and Tani (Dan); grandchildren, Laney, Tessa, Remy (Ryan), Casey, Josie; and great-grandchild, Radlee. If Marian were writing this, the list of relatives here would be a mile long, since she loved a family tree and could make nearly everyone she crossed paths with a relative somehow.

Marian was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Alicia; siblings, Louise, David, and Rosemary; and great-grandchild, Rowe.

A celebration of life will be held on February 3rd 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Paul Community Hall. The family will be reading a eulogy at 11:30 a.m. In true Koch fashion, anyone is then welcome to steal the microphone to tell a story or sing a song (if you've ever attended a Koch family reunion, you know what I mean). A lunch will be served immediately following. Marian adored bright and beautiful colors, so her family asks that those attending this party (yes, Marian wanted a party) dress colorfully - just the way she would have loved.

Donations in Marian's honor can be made to the St. Paul Parochial School, line item "Library fund in memory of M. Brooks." PO Box 188, St. Paul, OR 97137.