Brooke Halim Bohner, 26, of Holbrook died on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, in Chandler. The cause of death is pending investigation. Brooke was in the Phoenix area meeting with academic advisors in preparation for starting school this coming fall when he passed away. Due to religious beliefs necessitating burial within one-hour travel distance from the location of death, Brooke was buried in the City of Mesa Cemetery on Saturday, May 10. His immediate family was present, along with several close friends, for a tender and uplifting graveside service.
A celebration of life/memorial service for Brooke will be held on Saturday, June 7, at the Catholic Community Center, 212 E. Arizona St. in Holbrook. There will be a potluck meal starting at 3 p.m., followed by prayers, music and stories starting at 5 p.m. An open-mic will be part of the proceedings to share thoughts, memories or songs. Dessert is planned for around 7 p.m. (Brooke’s favorite–cheese cake), and more music, stories and fellowship are anticipated. Anyone who knew Brooke, or knows his family, is invited to come and share in this remembrance of Brooke and his life.
Brooke was born in Lansing, Mich., in 1988. He moved with his family to the Navajo Reservation in 1989 and lived on the Navajo and Hopi reservations until he was 9 years old, which is when his family moved to Holbrook.
He graduated from Holbrook High School when he was 17 in 2005, and went to Arizona State University with a scholarship and started with a major in engineering. He attended ASU for a year, then stopped to play in a Punk Rock band (Rainafire) with his friend Riley Murph. He also worked part-time and went to school at Mesa Community College part-time. He worked in the Disability Resource Center at MCC tutoring students with disabilities. He enjoyed this job greatly, and always went the extra mile to help students succeed. Brooke completed two associate degrees at MCC (Associate in Arts and Associate in General Studies). One of his goals was to go back to school and complete his baccalaureate degree in psychology.
Music was an important aspect of Brooke’s life. He was a talented guitarist, singer and songwriter. He played for various events during his time in Holbrook, such as the Navajo County Fair, PTs Rockin’ 66 Rally 2012 in Winslow and the Standing on the Corner Festival in Winslow. He played at open mic at The Coffee House in Show Low and for diners at Romo’s Restaurant in Holbrook. He had a regular gig at the Hopi Travel Center, where he played for local residents, tourists, and truckers. He shared his original music and many contemporary covers, as well as classic rock and country hits, making many friends, and bringing smiles to many faces and cheering many hearts. He was also known for the open mic he emceed at Mr. G’s Pizza in Holbrook once a month for several months. He approached the owner, Brian Gardner, with the idea of the open mic to promote wholesome fun for youth in the community. Mr. Gardner liked the idea, and a great time was had by all. Brooke made special effort to invite youth to participate in this monthly activity. There were some good turnouts from the Tiisyaakin Residential Home and the Sun Valley Indian School, and the Youth Mexican Dance group. This open mic brought together some of the rich diversity of Holbrook through appreciation of the arts of music and dance (and pizza, of course).
Brooke liked to use his music to tell the story of his life, a story of some struggle, in order to help others who may be struggling. He was in recovery after getting addicted to pain medicines after a knee surgery. He worked for a time as a peer support specialist at Community Bridges, a detox and stabilization unit in Holbrook, and really loved and had compassion for the patients that he helped there. He truly believed that everyone has strengths, and can use those strengths to overcome challenges and find their purpose in life. Brooke used some of the strategies from the Virtues Project that he had read about in the group sessions he facilitated at work. He found that when he used these strengths-based techniques that more patients decided to go into inpatient treatment than before he used the Virtues Project techniques. He had plans to attend training to become a Virtues Project facilitator, and use those skills in recovery work and as a therapist in his future career.
Brooke was the type of person who loved and accepted people. One friend has said, “Brooke had a sixth sense about when someone was hanging on by their last thread, and he would just somehow show up to comfort them and cheer them up.” He would scrub a new mom’s kitchen floor and do the dishes if he saw the need (without being asked). He would bring a family food when he somehow knew they didn’t have the money for groceries. He arranged a Super Bowl party for youth and worked hard to make it fun and educational, and to show that fun could be had without beer.
He was always thinking of other people. He was deeply disturbed by social injustice and stigmatization of people. He saw every person as a whole person, and saw something good in every human being. He wanted the whole world to be friends, and he tried to be a friend to all. He had a very caring and compassionate heart.
Brooke is survived by and will be sorely missed by his parents, Bob and Jacque Bohner; and his brothers and their families, Erin, Tien, and Ella Mae Bohner, and Josh Bohner, Ashley Dawley and Tatum Jace Bohner. He will also be missed by his foster brother, Andy Hoa Tran, and his wife, Khanh Tran; his stepson, Anthony Sivula, and his mother-in-law, Sheri Dahlgren; his maternal grandmother, Myra Carnahan, his maternal aunts and uncles, Delle and Harold Kistler, Kitty Carnahan, and Linda and Maynard Lovejoy, and his cousins, Heidi Carnahan, Jesse and Tim Lovejoy, Eli and Logan Williams, and Dusty and Shannon Kistler; and his paternal aunts and uncles, Kathy Solomon, Marybeth and Owen Riley, Patty Richards and Steve Bohner, and his cousins, Kobie Solomon, Kate Horensky, Dana Boyd, Jennifer Richards and Jessica Prior. Brooke will also be missed by many friends and extended family members, from near and far.
