Serita Brooke

Serita Brooke (née Basilio-Lewis)

August 8, 1978 – May 17, 2024

“Your motherhood will outlive you and live inside your children forever.”

A ray of light, Serita Brooke passed away on May 17, 2024, in Sequoia Hospital, after complications with heart surgery. She will be warmly remembered by all whose lives she so poignantly touched.

            Serita’s close circle includes her sweet children Zoe (8) and Oliver (5); the father of her children, Ethan Brooke, Aunt Shirley LeDuc, Lewis cousins, Basilio cousins, and her large tribe of dear friends. Serita is preceded in death by her parents Nola Lewis and Tony Basilio, Aunt Jean Roath, and grandparents.

Her mother Nola was a scientist and worked at the Institute of Noetic Sciences researching breast cancer. She loved Serita beyond words. She too was described as a poet, mysterious, brilliant, beautiful, graceful, protective, and grounded. She enjoyed folk dancing, singing, and baking.

Her father Tony was a caretaker at Steep Ravine Campground. He was Sicilian and Italian and was described as a free-spirited poet and artist, lover of beauty, with a motorcycle and a bit of a wild side. Tony took Serita on trips to Wyoming where she was enamored with the abundance of wildflowers and picked them all.

            Serita was born in Inverness, California, on Tomales Bay, where she lived for the first years of her life. The horror movie ‘The Fog’ was filmed in that childhood home, and during the filming of the movie she and her mother moved out. When she was 4, they moved to the beach town of Bolinas which is where Serita grew up.

She and her childhood friend from birth, Maya, were born 8 days apart and their mothers were dear friends. The young girls, who people thought were sisters, had fun exploring and digging out pools on the beach to feel the natural hot springs.

Serita was brave from a very young age. In 4th grade, she travelled to Guatemala with Maya and her mom for three weeks which left an imprint, and she returned as a junior in high school.  She attended school in West Marin and Tamalpais high school. Some fond memories with Bolinas friends were the Mayfaire maypole, 4th of July, and trick or treating in Petaluma.

Her strength of spirit stood the test of time as she lost both parents when she was still young. When she was 16, Serita’s father passed away from lung cancer. She shared many fond memories of her mother who passed away of cancer when Serita was 23, and who Serita cared for through the end. Serita always spoke so tenderly of what a special soul and nurturing magical spirit she was, and attributes knowing how to love deeply to her mother.

During this time Serita met Sangraal Aiken in February 2000 at Fairfix Café and their enamored relationship lasted 10 years including a short marriage. He was drawn to her fire, boundless energy and that she was a “badass truck driver”. They lived in Manhattan NY , had many adventures and lived the dream in their twenties. While in New York, she worked in advertising, while also creating multiple photography websites. She completed a project where she interviewed and captured the stories of unhoused people, both in writing and through beautiful photos. This is when she started helping run food kitchens.

Back in Marin, tender-hearted Serita continued to give her time and service her community. With her close friend Danielle Rodoni, she founded Food for Families, a local food program. It started out as cooking for new moms and grew to the point that the program needed a commercial kitchen to supply food for elders and anyone person or family who needed extra support. She and the other volunteers cooked and delivered out of the Coast Café in Bolinas, and fed about 100 people per week. Serita was a force in growing this program successfully, on a very small budget, and helping so many people. The other volunteers happily followed and supported her large-scale efforts.

Another tradition Serita took on with passion and grace was making Christmas stockings and packaged meals. Around holiday time she and friend would drive around Central Marin, and often Oakland, looking for anyone in need who might appreciate a little extra love. She had a heart of gold, a sunny disposition and an openness that anyone who met her was drawn to.

After earlier work as an EMT and a member of Search and Rescue, Serita held a career in ER services as an emergency responder, called to help others in strife and navigate through difficult experiences. But her biggest calling was to be a mother. And, she was blessed with two healthy, vibrant children.

In 2015, Serita met Ethan Brooke, they got married and welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Zoe. in February 2016 their new family moved into a charming hillside home in San Anselmo. It was also here that they welcomed their beautiful baby boy Oliver, and where they live now, surrounded by a friendly neighborhood.

Separated in 2022, Serita continued to live in San Anselmo and serve her community through her natural talents, generous gifts and abundant acts of service, while quietly weaving together a strong network of women and children. All while navigating some major life changes for her and children and grappling with her own health, she would show up in times of need for anyone. She was the first to show support for a party, event, initiative and loved adding her flair through decorations, food and her beautiful flower arrangements.

Serita was a fiercely loyal friend. She had a knack for showing up at the right time and saying the right thing in the hardest times, and was one to never leave anyone behind. She was a healer, a pacifier, a true empath who also carried so much. But she always found a way to see the bright side.

She delighted in shared road trips and kid field trips, in her big blue minivan that carted so many children and bundles of flowers and gifts over the years. She loved homemade cooking and baking, painting, drawing, and spontaneous giggles. She expressed her artistic talent in paintings, poems, writing, and flower designs. She wholly immersed herself in the experience of the moment and gave the most memorable warm hugs.

Serita was a mother who would go to the ends of the earth, for her own children, for her friends’ children and to the community as a whole. Her positive presence was a constant at her kids’ school, Wade Thomas.  If you were blessed to have received Serita’s love, you know how big it was. Time with her was a gift. And indeed, she accomplished her mission of leaving the planet better than she found it.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Serita Brooke, please visit our floral store.