‘Classy’ lady passes in Andrews, flags lowered

    Andrews – Flags in town were lowered to half-staff Monday to honor Judy Brooks, who passed away late Sunday night.
    “She always had a smile on her face and was always more than willing to help out anyone in need,” said Mayor James Reid, who gave the flag order.
    On Saturday, Reid had already declared March 9-13 Judy Brooks Week. He asked everyone to wear read and look “classy” to honor the longtime local resident.
    Brooks grew up in Cherokee County by the banks of Worm Creek with her brother, Charles West. She attended school in Andrews, and her first job after graduation was a school secretary. She later went on to work at Magnavox, Wachovia Bank and Citizens Bank, which later became United Community Bank.
    She and her husband, Wade, raised their daughter, Renee, in Andrews. She was known to be present for all events in town and was the best at raising funds for a good cause.
    Over the years, Brooks collected many titles, like Andrews’ Sweetheart, Mrs. Andrews, the First Lady of Andrews and Queen of Andrews.
    “She was just so good to everyone,” Andrews historian Kandy Barnard said. “Everybody loved her.
    “I think her legacy is she was just so genuine. She was so friendly to everyone, so caring. She was a great person.”
    Another local historian, Ann Miller Woodford, recalled the first time she saw Brooks after moving back to town. Brooks was in front of the Andrews United Methodist Church raising money by getting people to “bail her out” of a fake jail cell.
    “Many can tell you that she raised a lot of money that day,” Woodford said.
    Brooks supported Woodford over the years, encouraging her to take opportunities as they arose. Woodford said Brooks’ trust in her abilities made it possible for her to be the only African-American chamber of commerce director in western North Carolina in the early 1990s.
    “What a dear, kind and outreaching friend she has always been to me – and to my family,” Woodford said. “She always trusted me when she was the manager of United Community Bank because she knew, without a doubt, that I would never let her down.”
    In 1982, Charles McHan was chairman of the board of Citizens Bank. He got Brooks, who helped start the community bank in Murphy, to run the Andrews branch of the bank when they opened it because she knew everybody. Many people in town say they wouldn’t have been able to buy their home without her help.
    “She was a perfect fit,” McHan said. “Everybody knew her. Everybody trusted her.”
    He said she was really active in the community. She loved Cherokee County and the people here.
    “She was a really good person,” McHan said. “If there was ever a perfect person, she was it.”
    Barnard and Woodford added that Brooks never missed attending a funeral when she was healthy.
    “I never went to a funeral that I did not see her there, supporting those who had lost their loved ones,” Woodford said. “We cannot count the meals, money and love she shared when folks were in need of comfort.”
    Intern Jazlin Raxter contributed to this report.