William “Bill” Brooks, who served the laundry industry for more than 30 years, died last month at the age of 62.
Brooks attended Berlin High School in Berlin, Wis., then Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn., where he played football. While studying at Concordia, he met his future wife, Amy. The two were married 1988, and raised two sons, Steven and Michael.
Brooks began his professional career in sales at McGregor Sand-Knit in Berlin. In 1990, he went to work for Alliance Laundry Systems, headquartered in Ripon, Wis., in the company’s technical service department, later joining the UniMac team as its national accounts sales manager. He was promoted in 2011 to UniMac North America sales manager, and finished out his last few years with Alliance as director of customer solutions and business development, retiring in May 2022.
As a Berlin volunteer firefighter for 36 years, Brooks helped drive UniMac’s development of a total solutions approach to cleaning firefighter personal protective equipment to help keep fellow firefighters safe.
“Bill’s professionalism and good humor made him a trusted partner in the laundry business, with so many considering him not just a colleague, but a friend,” said Alliance Laundry Systems CEO Mike Schoeb. “He will be missed.”
“I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that Bill made an impact on everyone he ever met,” noted Craig Dakauskas, senior vice president, Americas Commercial for Alliance Laundry Systems. “He was filled with life and made anyone he met feel like the most important person in the room. That’s a truly rare trait.”
He is survived by his wife Amy; sons Steven (Melanie) and Michael (AJ); granddaughters Everly and Hallie; brothers Tom (Georgia) Brooks and Bob (Laurie) Brooks; sisters Terri (Don) Osterberg, Cathy (Rob) Hargrave, and Kelly (Tom) Krause; and several nieces and nephews.
The family asks that monetary donations be made in Brooks’ memory to the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department or the St. John Lutheran Church and School in Berlin.
