James Loren Brooks
James Loren Brooks, 90,
passed away Sunday, Au-
gust 21, 2016, at Good
Samaritan Society-Valley
Vista, in Wamego, KS. He
had been a resident of
Wamego since he and his
wife Janet moved from
Hardin, MT, in 2011 to be
close to family.
Loren was born at home
near Lansford, N.D., on
Oct. 2, 1925, the son of
James E. and Goldie (Tit-
tle) Brooks. He attended
country school at Forfar
and began fourth grade in
Glenburn where he gra-
duated from high school.
He was united in mar-
riage with Janet Phillips
on April 10, 1948, in
Minot, N.D. She was his
soulmate by his side for
68 years, most of it spent
ranching and farming in
N.D. and then Montana.
He and his brother Bob
operated Brooks Hereford
Ranch at Lansford and
Burlington, N.D. The
brothers were an innova-
tive team in the early days
of cattle performance test-
ing and in 1958 began a
many year run of success-ful production sales. They
displayed bull carloads in
the Yards in Denver in the
1950’s and Loren took
pride in having attended
51 consecutive National
Western Stock Shows.
The Brooks Ranch was in-
ducted into the North
Dakota Cowboy Hall of
Fame in 2014.
In 1975 Loren and Janet
moved to Big Horn Coun-
ty, MT, where they, along
with the Gary and Vickie
Bishop family, continued
to run a large herd of Re-
gistered and commercial
Herefords until 2001.
Loren loved ranching in
Big Sky Country and the
camaraderie with neigh-
boring ranchers. He
judged cattle shows across
the U.S. and in Canada,
served as President of
N.D. and MT Hereford
Assn’s, a Director of the
N.D. Beef Cattle Improve-
ment Assn., co-organizer
for the ND Hereford Assn.
4U Sale, Chaired Ameri-
can Hereford Assn’s State
Presidents’ Council and
on various AHA commit-
tees. In 2004 Brooks
Ranch was recognized by
AHA as a 50 Year Plus
Golden Breeder.
He was an active
church member, serving
as a trustee and building
committee member at
Glenburn Baptist and was
a founding member of
Gateway Christian Center,
Hardin, a community of
believers near and dear to
his heart.
His final home, Kansas,
wasn’t in his heart like
Montana but both he and
Janet loved being near
grandchildren and great
grandchildren and being a
part of their lives. He
commented often, watch-
ing from Bill and Vickie’s
deck, about the beauty of
Kansas sunsets.
His survivors include a
daughter, Vickie Bishop
Kern (Bill), three grand-
daughters: Jodi Jordan
(Toby) of Rensselaer, IN;
Tami Weaber (Bob) of
Wamego; Kristi Bishop of
Stillwater, OK, and seven
great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for
Mr. Brooks will be held at
9:00 a.m. September 3,
2016 at the Gateway
Christian Center north of
Hardin. Inurnment ser-
vice for Loren and Janet
will be held at Sunset
Memorial Gardens, Minot,
ND, at 2:00 p.m. Sep-
tember 4, 2016. Memori-
als are suggested to Gate-
way Christian Center,
Hardin, or Hereford Youth
Foundation of America,
Kansas City, MO., and
may be left in care of
Stewart Funeral Home,
P.O. Box 48, Wamego,
KS66547.
Online condolences
may be left at www.stewartfuneralhomes.com