Flora Brocklyn
Age - 88
December 3, 2023
Our mom, Flora Joyce Van Brocklyn, age 88, arrived in Heaven on Sunday, November 26, 2023, and has now joined our dad and so many of her other family members who have been waiting for her. What a reunion they must be having!
Services celebrating Mom's life will be held at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home, 601 US Highway 80 East, Haughton, Louisiana, on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 11:00 a. m. Officiating will be Rev. Randle Peterson and Rev. Jeremy Nennig. Interment will follow the memorial service. The family will receive friends for visitation on December 9, 2023, from 10:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home. Honoring her as pallbearers are her great-grandson, Wade Nennig, and four of her nephews, Kelly Scroggins, Chuck Scroggins, Jamy Dzvonick, and Greg Dzvonick.
Mom was born on December 19, 1934, in Columbus, Georgia, to Bennie Frank and Betty Lois Scroggins. The oldest of seven children, Mom met Daddy, Harvey S. Van Brocklyn, Jr. , when her father was stationed at Barksdale AFB in 1951. Because her father had received orders to another base, Mom and Dad crossed the state line and married in January 1952, less than three weeks after she turned 17 years old.
Following a three-year stint in the Air Force, Mom and Dad lived briefly in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, but then moved to Louisiana until Daddy joined the U. S. Army. During their military life, they were stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Woonsocket, Rhode Island; and Fort Clayton, Panama Canal Zone. They both enjoyed the military life, and Karen and Gary benefited greatly from the military experience as well. We all enjoyed traveling to new places and meeting so many wonderful people over the years.
On December 29, 1963, Mom gave her life completely to God and began serving Him in earnest. When Gary was born less than four months later, he had to have two transfusions because of Mom's RH negative factor. She asked the doctor if her baby was going to make it, and he paused for a while before he finally said slowly, "I don't know. I just don't know. " When the doctor left her hospital room, she told the Lord that she was giving her baby back to Him because Gary was His in the first place. Just a few minutes later, the nurse ran into her room and said, "The doctor just said your baby's going to be just fine!" Mom said she knew right away it was because she had given Gary back to God.
Mom prayed about everything and trusted God in everything, whether big or small. Above all, she always wanted God's will in her life. She prayed about health and protection for her family, which furniture to purchase, which shelter dog to adopt, for a good parking space, what she should cook for supper, and on and on. She knew there was, nor is, nothing too big or too small for God, so she always sought His guidance in absolutely everything. In her earlier Christian years, she especially delighted in teaching young children in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. As her hearing progressively deteriorated, she was not able to teach children anymore, but she still had many opportunities to serve the Lord. She was a long-time member of Northview Assembly of God Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she served in the capacity of church treasurer for several years. More importantly, she was a true prayer warrior. She spent many hours kneeling in prayer at her bedside when we kids were growing up. We knew not to disturb her time with God - it was far too precious.
After Daddy retired from the military in 1976, Mom and Dad came to Shreveport to make it their retirement home. They missed their life in the military, especially the traveling, but settled into their home, began new careers, became active in church, and met many new friends. Mom's love of gardening really took off, and she took great pleasure in planting fruit such as strawberries, watermelon, and tomatoes; vegetables such as corn, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers potatoes, squash, and green beans; flowers; bushes; and even trees whenever she could. She also delighted in watching hummingbirds, having purchased several hummingbird feeders over the years. Most of all, she took great pride in her family, as evidenced by the many photos of family members she always displayed prominently throughout her house.
Following Daddy's death in 2007 and the death of her mother in 2010, Mom moved to Florida to be close to her daughter Karen and her family. Mom loved being part of our lives and took great pleasure in spending time with her grandchildren, Jeremy and Sarah, whenever possible. She was so very proud of them. She loved that Jeremy became a pastor and followed in the steps of other family members, and that Sarah played the French horn in school just like Daddy played the cornet in school. She especially enjoyed getting together with and being silly with her great-grandchildren, Wade and Ella, who called her Mimi, which she loved! Just spending time with them, whether it was playing a board game, a card game, or just talking, always put a smile on her face and so much joy in her heart. Once, she even got down on the floor onto a big mound of blankets the great-grands had put on the floor to jump into from the fireplace hearth. Of course, she had trouble getting up, but she didn't care. She would do anything to make them happy and laugh. The only thing that made her sad about watching them grow up was that our dad wasn't there to enjoy them with her.
One of Daddy's deepest desires was to see his son Gary become a dad. Although he didn't live long enough to see that happen, Mom always told us how proud Daddy would be of Gary's two boys, Eli and Ezra, and that they would be the ones to carry on the Van Brocklyn name. One year, Gary was able to surprise Mom and bring his boys to Florida to visit her. She was just about beside herself with excitement at seeing them walk through the door! She loved reading to them, watching them play with Wade and Ella, and taking them to the Air Armament Museum and the Surge Adventure Park. But by far, her favorite part was being with them and hearing them call her Gramma Mimi!
Mom and Dad's love for each other survived for nearly 56 years until Daddy was called home to be with the Lord on October 7, 2007. She talked about Daddy often and how much she missed him, but she knew she would see him again one day. Her unwavering love for him continued until she joined him in Heaven where they now worship the Lord together.
If you were fortunate enough to know Mom personally, you were blessed. Unfailingly, people have said time and time again how sweet and thoughtful Mom was to them. Even through her Alzheimer's journey, she always expressed appreciation to everyone who showed her the slightest kindness. She loved to make people laugh no matter where she was - at home, at church, at the store, at the doctor's office, and even when she was hospitalized. She clearly had overcome the childhood shyness she suffered from, and she loved to talk to people about Jesus. She always told people how good God was to her whole life and how faithful He was to her. She was a walking testimony all the time. That must have made Jesus so happy! What a welcome from Him she must have had when she arrived in Heaven!
So many family members have gone on to be with the Lord before Mom. She was looking forward to seeing them all again one day, and now she finally has. Mom was preceded in death by the love of her life and our dad (Harvey S. Van Brocklyn, Jr. ), an infant lost in miscarriage, her parents (Bennie Frank Scroggins and Betty Lois Scroggins), three brothers (Donald R. Scroggins, Bennie Randall Scroggins, and Roger Darryl Scroggins), and two sisters (Mary Dale "Patsy" Hutches and Barbara Gale Dzvonick). She leaves behind one brother, Errol Wayne "Rusty" Scroggins; one daughter, Karen Nennig (husband Chuck); one son, Gary Van Brocklyn; four grandchildren, Jeremy Nennig (wife Lindsey), Sarah Nennig, Eli Van Brocklyn, and Ezra Van Brocklyn; one great-grandson, Wade Nennig; one great-granddaughter, Ella Nennig; sisters-in-law Kyle Scroggins and Fern Scroggins; very special nieces, nephews, and cousins; and a host of church family and friends.
The family would like to thank Gentiva Hospice of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for the extraordinarily compassionate care they showered on Mom. They were kind, gentle, caring, and most of all, understanding. We are truly grateful.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation for Alzheimer's research at www. alz. org. This is a devastating disease, and it needs to be eradicated.
Please visit www. mem. com to sign Mom's guest book, watch a Tribute Movie of her life, and share your own special memories of Mom with us. We all miss Mom/Gramma/Mimi very much, and we are thankful for the many memories that we hold in our hearts. We will never forget her!Show more
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