Antonio D. Rooks
A celebration of life for Antonio DeMorris Rooks was held Saturday, Jan. 7, at Rock Creek Baptist Church in Mansfield. Reginald Bush, pastor of Lizzie Berry Baptist Church in Jackson and Cecil Rozier, Sr., pastor of Sims Chapel Baptist Church in Covington officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Mr. Rooks, affectionately known as “Fish,” was born April 29, 1980, to Priscilla Blocker and Tony Rooks at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
He died January 1, 2017 at Rockdale Medical Center in Conyers.
Mr. Rooks proclaimed his faith in Christ at any early age and joined Rock Creek Baptist Church in Mansfield. He received a portion of his primary and secondary education in the Jasper County School District (Monticello, Ga.) but moved to Griffin where he received his high school diploma from Griffin High School in May, 1999.
Mr. Rooks was a person who had an immeasurable keenness for spending quality time with family and friends. He was remarkably candid, believed in expressing his thoughts regardless of consequences as he firmly believed in revealing his truth or perspective (i.e. his famous catchphrase “it’s the truth”).Mr. Rooks unconditionally loved everyone (especially family) and didn’t meet a stranger.
He was amusing and could always effortlessly structure a narrative to make people laugh (i.e. he was the life of the party and family comedian). He was a person with a big heart and loved to celebrate others.
Mr. Rooks was preceded in death by his grandmother, Anna Byron; step-father, James King; great-grandmothers, Pearl L. Stevens and Lucille Simmons, and great-grandfathers, Isaac Lee Byron and Lawerence Simmons, and many other loved ones.
He leaves to cherish is memories his mother, Priscilla Blocker of Griffin; father, Tony Rooks of Monticello; stepfather, Cleo Miller of Griffin; brother, Tovoris Miller; four nieces, Precious Miller, Tamaya Miller, Asia Miller and Khaniya Miller, all of Griffin; grandmother, Pecola King of Mansfield; step-great-grandmother, Daisy Byron of Covington; grandfather, James Simmons of Birmingham, Ala., and Godmother, Orether Ussery of Forsyth.
Also, aunts and uncles, Bertha Boswell (Robert) of Social Circle, Sincola Ngalamulume, of Union Springs, Ala., Adrienne Turk of Covington; Alfrica King of Mansfield, James (Virginia) Blocker of Social Cicle, Doris Rooks, Angie Rooks (Bobby), Bernice Stone, and Christine Ross (Willie), all of Monticello, and a host of great-aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives and friends.
Smith and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.