MY EXTENDED FAMILY

Many years ago, some time in the 70's, Jeff (Jeffrey Scott Brooks) and Doug (Douglas Alan Brooks) came to live with us through the Cleveland Jewish Children's Home. We (Adele, my late wife, and I) became foster parents to Jeff and Doug. The arrangememt was that they would live with us until they turned 18 or graduated from high school, whichever came last. At that time, they were supposed to be on the own and go their own way. They did turn 18 and did graduate from high school but somehow they never lived up to the bargain to "go their own way." I am still their foster father and Naomi (my present wife) is their foster mother. And we are Grandma and Grandpa to Jeff and Kim's three children.

When Jeff and Kim were married in Florida, Naomi and I had a reception for them here in Oberlin. When Doug and Victoria were married in New York a couple of years ago (in the 90's), Naomi and I escorted Doug down the aisle. So my family has been enlarged and enriched with the "adoption" of Doug and Jeff.

Doug and Jeff are twins although they may not look like twins. But they are twins with Jeff being the oldest by a matter of minutes. Jeff and Kim live in Wellington, Ohion now where Jeff is a very successful life insurance agent for New York Life and Kim works in customer service for Invacare in Elyria. And, as you can see, they are the proud parents of Jacob, Nathan, and Sarah -- theree delightful children.

Nothing ever goes smoothly forever and so, with heavy heart, I have to report that Doug and Victoria are divorced. But just before the divorce, they had a son, Juda Rosner. There's little else to report on that front. But for now, I'll leave Victoria's picture in the page until I get a picture of Juda to use. Jeff amd Kim's children are now a little older and their pictures will be replaced as soon as I learn how to do that.

	My Foster Son Douglas Brooks		My Foster Daughter-in-Law Victoria Rosner	My Foster Son Jeffrey Brooks	My Foster Daughter-in-Law Kim Smith-Brooks

JACOB BROOKS	NATHAN BROOKS	SARAH BROOKS

THE ETHIOPIAN PART OF THE FAMILY

In the early 70s, we received a call from the New York office of the American Field Service (AFS) that they had a student from Ethiopia living with a family in Wisconsin. There was illness in that family and their AFS student had to be moved. We are asked if we would take in Aklilu Demessie. A few days later, Aklilu arrived in Cleveland and thereby began a relationship that still endures. After he finished high school in Oberlin, Aklilu returned to Ethiopia. But first, there was a bus tour of the United States with other AFS students. One of them was Zufan Lemma, also from Ethiopia. They met on the bus and their relationship continued in Ethiopia.
Aklilu went on to college in Ethiopia but there was a great deal of student unrest in the schools. The agitators, including Aklilu, were pushing for more democracy and the authorities were resisting. (We like to feel that Aklilu mastered his agitating skills in our houe and in Oberlin.) Well, the schools kept closing down and Aklilu wrote and asked if we could find a good engineering school for him in the United States. To be continued.

My "Adopted" Son Aklilu Demessie		My "Adopted" Daughter-in-Law Zufan Lemma Demessie	Aklilu and Zufan's Son Nebyat Demessie	Aklilu and Zufan's Daughter Menna Demessie

My "Adopted" Son Solomon Lemma. Solomon is Zufan's Brother

My "Adopted" Daughter-in-Law Brigitte Zahnd		My "Adopted" Son Patrick Zahnd	Julien	Etienne	Antoine

My "Adopted" Daughter Karen Buck Burgess		My "Adopted" Son-in-Law John Burgess	Karen and John's Daughter Katharine	Karen and John's Daughter Sarah

This page is under construction
and under the guidance of
Oberlin College computer geniuses.

Last Edited 08/02/07