Amber Lynn

Brooke

Amber Lynn Brooke

November 15, 1968 – November 2, 2026

Some people move through life quietly, leaving barely a ripple. Others leave behind stories, questions, laughter, and an impression that cannot easily be put into words. Amber Lynn Brooke, 57, who passed away unexpectedly on November 2, 2026, was most certainly the latter.

She was, quite simply, one of the most interesting people you could ever hope to know.

Wild and free, fiercely independent, endlessly curious, and wonderfully unpredictable, Amber experienced the world in a way that was uniquely her own. She was passionate about the things that captured her imagination, from tracing the branches of family trees to exploring the mysteries of the spiritual realm. She was drawn to the stories of those who came before her and the possibilities of what might lie beyond.

She had a quick laugh, a generous spirit, and a willingness to help when someone needed her. She could surprise you with her kindness, entertain you with her observations, and make a tuna casserole worth remembering. These were some of the simple, beautiful things about her.

But Amber was not a simple person. Her life was marked by struggles that sometimes made relationships difficult and left distances that were not easily bridged. She was, in many ways, deeply misunderstood. Yet those struggles were only one part of a much larger, more fascinating story.

As she grew older, she found something powerful: her voice. She learned to stand up for herself, speak her truth, and to live increasingly on her own terms. She wasn't interested in fitting neatly into anyone else's expectations. She was her own person, whether the world understood her or not.

Perhaps that's why the fox was her spirit animal. Clever, curious, elusive, a little mischievous, and forever wild. There was something untamed about her spirit, something that couldn't be contained by convention or explained away by ordinary expectations.

Amber was a mother to two sons, Cody Jones and his wife, Tiffany, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Tyler Jones and his wife, Katherine, of Edmond, Oklahoma. She was also a proud grandmother to Silas and Isla, the children of Cody and Tiffany.

She is survived by her father, James Brooke, of Kansas City, Missouri; her brothers, Lance Brooke and his wife, Christi, of Pappillion, Nebraska, and Chad Brooke and his wife, Sherri, of Pleasant Valley, Missouri; as well as many stepsiblings, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

She was reunited in death with her mother, Karen Szemkus, of Oelwein, Iowa, and her beloved younger sister, Darby Brooke, of Kansas City, Missouri.

Amber was previously married to Michael Jones of Piedmont, Oklahoma, and Bobby Bartles of Kansas City, Missouri.

Tattooed on her body were the words “No tears past the gate.” Those words today offer a poignant hope: that beyond this life there is peace, freedom from struggle, and no more need for tears. Amber spent much of her life searching for the stories of those who came before her and wondering about the world beyond this one. Now, she has become part of both.

She was not always easy to understand. She wasn't always easy to love. But she was always, unmistakably, herself.

Some souls were never meant to be tamed. Only remembered. May she finally be as wild, as free, and as at peace as she was always meant to be.