There is so much we want to tell you about Deven Brooks, but how can words truly express and encompass a whole person: a child, a son, a brother, a grandson, a friend? We will say that Deven was 12 years old, he grew up in Arizona, and he was a charming little boy. He had beautiful, golden, sunlight hair. His eyes were sparkling blue with a magnificent reflective glint when he’d smile. His skin was soft, alabaster, lily white. His body had gentle little sun kisses here and there: on his tummy, his arms. 

He had a boisterous voice that would carry over the crowd, he would yell and exclaim and laugh; unapologetically expressive. He wore his heart on his sleeve, always. His energy was boundless, he could continue chatting and playing for hours after everyone else would get tired, his imagination creating an environment all his own for him to journey through. He loved history and fantasy, so his mind always had room to create and build his own worlds. He had many aspirations over his lifetime- he wanted his own horse, to become a firefighter, open a pizza parlour, and he wanted to be a Twitch streamer. Minecraft was one of his favorite games- exploring vast worlds, building villages, taming wild creatures, and defeating monsters. A couple of other games he loved were Fortnite, Apex Legends, Hello Neighbor, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. One of the earliest photos we have of him, he is holding a little video game joystick. He was truly skilled and always looking to have fun with his friends and family, even in our earliest memories of him. 

He had an incredibly fiery and curious spirit. For Deven, no challenge was too big to tackle and no task was too small. He was, in any and every case, ready to help and explore. We hope we can take him with us in our lives by remembering to inquire, to want more, to wonder, to seek, to traverse forward and upward courageously, as he would have. 

He left a lasting impression on everyone he met- He was entirely memorable, even to those who met him once or twice. So many people loved him, it’s an impossible task to name them all, but just know love and support were plentiful in his life. 

Thank you for reading this and we thank you in advance for allowing us to read your recollections of Deven and his life. Thank you for your support and love during this difficult transition.