Obituary of Arthur Edwin Brake

ARTHUR EDWIN " ED" BRAKE

April 27, 1942 - March 17, 2023

 

Arthur Edwin ("Ed") Brake died at home peacefully with his wife and daughter at his side at the age of 80.

 

Ed was born in 1942 in Colorado as the third of four children. His parents moved to the San Francisco bay area in 1944, where his father was offered an opportunity to get in on the construction boom as a carpenter. As a young boy, Ed became an adventurous and spirited lad, always just a little mischievous, but always kind and well-mannered.

 

Over the years, he would often share many fond memories of his childhood adventures growing up with his siblings and his dear Lewis and Baker cousins. In high school, he had perfect attendance, but far preferred his after school activities (fishing, duck hunting, light carpentry with his Daddy, or pulling pranks on his many friends and family). At the age of 17, his bright blue eyes, dimpled smile, natural wit, and easygoing kindness immediately caught the attention of a young Linda "Faye" (née Florenzen) and she was instantly and forever smitten. The couple married after he turned 20 in 1962.

 

Their first child, a son, Gordon Wayne was born in 1964 in Fremont, CA. The couple then pulled roots to move away from the big city life to raise their new family, and loved the mountainous beauty of Idaho. Once settled in their new home, Ed joined the Boise Police Department as a patrol officer.

 

Daughter, Diana Jo, was soon born in Boise, ID in 1965. Ed excelled with interrogation skills, and was quickly promoted to detective. He was the first polygraph examiner in Idaho and he also trained in hypnosis as an investigative technique (which ultimately was a joy for family gatherings). Ed was chosen as Officer of the Year in 1975, which garnered the interest of Idaho State Police talent scouts. He was recruited by I.S.P. in 1976, where he worked as a special agent primarily in liquor law enforcement throughout the state in all urban and rural communities.

 

Many weekends the family could be found in the woods camping, gathering firewood, gold panning, or fishing. After Ed and Faye's two children were grown, the couple began backpacking Idaho's rugged backcountry. Trekking through the wilderness, they reveled in the beauty of so many pristine mountain lakes and quiet forests.

 

He retired early at the age of 50 to accommodate his love for backpacking. Idaho's backcountry became Ed's church; he considered the Idaho wilderness God's country. Other hobbies closer to home ranged from beekeeping, genealogy, dirtbike racing, residential construction, remodeling and reselling houses, winemaking, volunteering for the Rails to Trails program (specifically the Weiser River Trail), gardening, tinkering on his 1940 Ford coupe, elk hunting (often forgetting his gun as he considered wild elk simply too majestic in his later years), or watching his favorite TV shows (mostly cooking channels if football wasn't being aired).

 

Ed was a devout Boise State University football fan, and he rarely missed a game with his two longtime friends, the Smiths (whose family has become an extension of our own). He also continued to follow the B.S.U. players in their professional careers and could easily recite statistics. If Ed had one joke, he could easily follow up with four more. He was always smiling, comedic, creative, and easily drew both friends and strangers in with his conversation. He was genuinely loving, always there with a sturdy handshake or warm hug, and was loved by just so many.

 

He was preceded in death by his beloved son Gordon, two siblings David and Darlene ("Deenie"), and his parents Billy and Thelma Brake. Ed loved all animals, but held a special place for dogs and seemed to have a canine companion his entire life: Lady, Pal, Beauregard, Schroeder, Max, Willy, Wally, and most recently the aptly named Rowdy. Ed leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Faye (Parma, ID), his daughter Diana and bonus-by-marriage son Brent Carlson (Anchorage, AK), two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren (Keegan, Paulette; Oliver, Chavis), one sister Kathryn Janssen (Georgetown, TX), and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends whom he considered family.

 

Although he will be greatly missed on earth, Heaven gained a first-class Angel and he provided all that knew him the eternal gift of everlasting memories. The family would like to extend a special thank you to his attentive caregivers with Ancora Hospice of Fruitland.

 

In lieu of flowers, Ed requested donations be shared with either of his two favorite charities: Friends of the Weiser River Trail or the Make-a-wish Foundation.

 

A celebration of life will be held later this summer with details to be determined. He wanted to be remembered by his loved ones with the continued tradition of having strawberry shortcake on his birthday, and, when you hear someone shout "Go Broncos!" please think of our beloved husband and father.

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