Julia Dean Lyons Brooks was born on November 28, 1942 to the late Dulbert and Laura Bryant Lyons in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. She graduated from Pattillo High School, Tarboro, North Carolina and after a gap year continued her education at North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC where she received a BS Degree. She obtained her Master's Degree from City University of New York. During her time at NCCU, she was very active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960's. She began her career in New York as a caseworker and after obtaining her graduate degree, she began a career in Human Resources where she worked with Consolidated Edison, Coopers and Lybrand, Price Waterhouse, and the New York Association for New Americans.

She was an active member of The Coalition Of 100 Black Women, New York Association of College Recruiters and The Bergen County Chapter of The Links Inc. while residing in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Area.

She and her late husband, Bernard E. Brooks, former Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey relocated to Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1995 where she resumed her career in human resources with Hardee's and BB&T. After early retirement, she continued to work as Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) at the United Way until her diagnosis with cancer in 2015.

She served on the board of the Spartanburg Art Museum, Chapman Cultural Center, Converse Board of Visitors, Girl Scouts of the Piedmont, Mobile Meals, Salvation Army, Spartanburg Historical Association, Fifty Upstate and Spartanburg Regional Foundation.

She is a graduate of Leadership Spartanburg. A member of Business and Professional Women and served as Chair of the ARC of The Rock Springs/The Townes homeowner's association.
She was a member of the Spartanburg Chapter of The Link's Inc. A member of Silver Hill Memorial United Methodist Church where she served as Chair of the Greeter's Ministry and managed the Media Center.

She was one of the 59,000 women enrolled in Black Women's Health Study (BWHS) a long-term observational study conducted at Boston University's Sloane Epidemiology Center since 1995 to investigate the health problems of Black Women over a long time period.

Julia enjoyed traveling and visited all of the States in the US except eleven. She toured the Caribbean, Canada, Italy, France, Spain and Mexico, including cruises. She went on two mission trips to Haiti and Cuba. She was an avid volunteer, raised rare houseplants and always had a vegetable and herb garden.

She was preceded in death by: her husband, Bernard E. Brooks; two brothers, Elbert and Warner Lyons; and two sisters, Nannie Lyons Boyd and Mildred Maloy Claytor.

Survivors include: a brother, Bernard Lyons, Tarboro, NC; two nieces; one nephew; two sisters-in-law, Martha Brooks of Yonkers, NY and Mary Lyons of Hampton, VA; several cousins and friends; her late husband's four daughters, Sharon, Karen, Susan and Theresa.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Gibbs Cancer Center, 380 Serpentine Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303 or Duke Health Fund, Duke University, Box 90581, Durham, NC 27708-
0581.

Memorials may also be made to the Draughn-Lyons-Exum Scholarship Fund, % of Spencer A. Becton, 14009 Manchester Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774.