Brooks, Tina Vaughn, 68, of Clearwater, FL died November 18, 2022, at home, peacefully in her sleep. She was born on August 17, 1954, in Burlington, NC to Bryant and Geraldine Vaughn. She was the youngest of three children.

Tina originally moved to Florida with her family in the early 60s, landing in Miami, which she talked often about visiting one more time but never got the chance. In her late teens and early twenties, she roamed the United States and lived for a time in an apartment overlooking the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii. By 1979 she ended up in New Port Richey where she married and had her children. Tina put her college aspirations on hold to be a mother. She eventually ended up working for the Pasco County School systems as a reading part specialist and even helped launch the Pre-K program. She was a volunteer for Pasco County’s Guardian Ad Litem program in the mid-nineties. For a decade after her volunteering with the program, if her former children saw her at the store, they would come and hug her.

Tina was a sensitive soul. She loved all of the children’s friends as if they were her own, offering sage advice and spiritual wisdom, and always providing a safe place for them to stay. Once she knew you, she always asked about how you were doing. Tina could talk for hours and often left very long voicemail messages if she couldn’t catch you on the phone. She loved nature and would talk to cats, dogs, squirrels, and birds as if they could understand everything she said. In the morning, when she would sit on the patio and drink her beloved Starbucks Coffee frappe, she would literally tweet to the birds. She had a ridiculous sweet tooth and would often yell down from the patio to “bring me back something sweet” as her daughter and son-in-law would leave.

She didn’t have a conventional sense of humor, but when she found something funny, she would laugh with her whole body. She loved crushed ice and Triscuits and would order food from a restaurant but would only eat half (probably because she ate a box of Triscuits). Tina would sing along to songs on the radio that she never heard before, making up words as she would go. She loved reality TV, knew everything about the housewives of whatever city, or what was going on with the Kardashians, but her favorite show was Ghost Adventures. On any given day she would be streaming Zach and his crew, even though she didn’t understand why they thought everything was demons. She watched countless documentaries because she never lost her desire to learn. She was affectionately nicknamed “Tina-pedia” by a great nephew because she “knew it all”.

Tina rarely said goodbye; she said adios.

She is preceded in death by her beloved parents, Geraldine (Surles) and Bryant Vaughn, and her brother Clinton. Tina is survived by her four children: Christine O’Toole (John), Heather Aquilino (LB), Dean Brooks (Danielle), and Lindsey Brooks (Alex); sister, Vicky Roberts (Roland), her beloved grandchildren Jackson, Brielle, Haven, Brynn and Bryleigh, and fur grandchildren Doodie, Zues, Drizzy, Shady, Garth, Biscuits and Gravy; multiple nieces, and a nephew; many great nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will be held at Dobies Funeral Home on Old Country Road 54 on December 4^th. The gathering begins at 1 pm with the service at 2 pm. Reception to follow, location to be determined.

Adios Mom, we love you.