Samuel Thomas Brooks, age 52 of Vinton, died unexpectedly on September 5, 2024. Born on April 7, 1972, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, he was the son of Raymond Mack (Tommy) Brooks and Patricia Gale Flippen Brooks. Growing up in the town of Vinton, Sam (also known to friends as Duronski) loved to play sandlot sports, race RC cars, and enjoy fishing with Uncle Harold. Our Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons, ranging from Tom and Jerry to Bugs Bunny. He carried on that tradition with his daughters. He especially loved to get on my and our cousin Mike's last nerve while we played outside after school at Aunt Hazel's every day. His attempts to keep up with us resulted in two broken arms, a broken finger, and a scar on his arm that would never let him forget his antics. I would give anything to have him irritate me one last time. Many may remember him working at Kroger in Vinton, or maybe Kentucky Fried Chicken, and he even ran a few calls with the Vinton first aid crew back in the day. If you were lucky enough to meet him back then, you had a friend for life. He always had the biggest smile but an even bigger heart. If you knew him, you had to love him. Sam was survived by his sister, Theresa Brooks, and her fiance Edwin O'Connor of Vinton; step sister, Marcy Goff, and her husband Wesley Goff, who reside in Bedford; step brothers, Paul Malina, and his wife Lillian Malina, from Roanoke, and Allan Malina, and his wife Pam Malina, who reside in Lynchburg; three beautiful daughters, Mary Gail Cox, 31, and her husband, Grant Cox, who reside in Covington; Morgan Virginia Brooks, 28, also residing in Covington; and Megan Patricia Brooks, 23, who currently resides in Roanoke. He is also survived by two granddaughters, Madelynn Brooks and Roselynn Hahn. There will be a celebration of life at New Beginnings PH Church in Bedford on September 21, 2024. Please arrive at 2:00 p.m. for fellowship with family and friends, and the service, officiated by Reverend Richard Kingrea, will begin at 2:30 p.m. There will be an opportunity to share any stories you may have. I hope everyone will come to celebrate the good times. Sam has been cremated, and his remains will be buried with his mother and father in the Mountain View Cemetery, at a later date. All family will gather at 1:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall for a home-cooked meal, and thank you to Sherry Heck and the women's ministry, who will be graciously preparing that wonderful meal. Sammy, you will be forever in our hearts and we will always love you. RIP