Rena Brooks, a beacon of love for the world, is gone. She died at 94 years old on March 23, 2026, having lived a full life.

Rena was born Renate Cecile Hirschstein in Bremen, Germany, on February 3, 1932, the only child of Walter and Ruth Hirschstein. The following years became disastrous for Jews in Germany; Rena and her family were lucky enough to be able to leave Germany in 1939. They arrived in New York City on April 6, 1939 — her father’s birthday — and Rena’s first words in English were “Happy Birthday, Daddy.”

Rena’s first school experience in the U.S. played a crucial role in her life: even though she knew almost no English, her first teacher was kind and helpful, and made sure that the rest of her new classmates were as well. From that moment as an 8-year old, Rena knew that she wanted to be a teacher.

Rena’s education was remarkable for how many schools she attended – and how her love of music came shining through. Her family moved frequently, so she attended eight different grammar schools – mostly in Chicago. Only one had its own fight song, and she was happy to sing it for the rest of her life (“Bret Harte, Bret Harte . .. “). She began high school at Highland Park High School outside Dallas, but graduated from New Trier High School in a Chicago suburb (she knew their songs too). She attended Northwestern University, graduating in 1953 with an education degree (“Go Cats!”). At Northwestern, she was President of Women Off Campus, and loved going to football games. At one fateful away game at Wisconsin, she met Malcolm Becker Brooks, a glockenspiel player in the Northwestern band. They were married on August 14, 1954.

There were three great passions in Rena’s life: family, teaching, and singing.

It is easy to recite the usual obituary elements of family: Rena was preceded in death by her parents, too many friends, and her husband, Malcolm (in 1998). Rena is survived by her sons Malcolm “Chip” (Patricia) Brooks, David (Cindy) Brooks, and Robert (Sandy) Brooks; grandchildren, Sally Brooks, Katelyn (Taylor) Pearson, Anthony (Mariah) Brooks, Hannah (Dean) Simmons, Jamie Brooks, Maxwell Brooks and Nicholas Brooks; nine great-grandchildren; and a boatload of nieces, nephews, step-grandchildren, many friends and assorted dogs. But this doesn’t begin to describe the lifetime of love, fun, holiday cards, thoughtful gestures, and caring that she lavished on everyone in her orbit – especially family.

Above all else, Rena was a great teacher. Her first teaching job was at a camp in Park Ridge, Illinois. She loved it: “I couldn’t believe someone would actually pay me for this!” Rena began teaching in Comstock schools in 1955, and remained there until 1994, except for a break in the early 1960’s to start a Milwood Co-Op Nursery School. Rena taught first grade at Green Meadow School for the last 26 years of her career, where she led what she always treasured as a supremely talented and dedicated cadre of teachers. She was a long-time member of the Delta Kappa Gamma educational sorority, winning many awards.

And Rena loved singing. She appreciated good singers and hoped to become one . . . someday. She loved singing in church. She was for years an enthusiastic member of the Portage Senior Center. And when she moved to Friendship Village in 1995, she became a regular member of the choirs there. She loved any occasion to sing – and asked that any birthday party for her focus on singing. For her 75th birthday, her sons wrote a song with this chorus: “It’s Rena’s birthday, she doesn’t want cake; she doesn’t want liquor, but that’s a mistake; she doesn’t want presents; she just wants one thing; don’t give her good wishes, just stand up and sing.”

In 2015, she moved to Friendship Village because she felt that the place really had the friendly atmosphere promised in the name. She developed and re-kindled hundreds of friendships there, and was an enthusiastic ambassador for the facility. She was happy there for the rest of her life.