Mark A. Brooks, inspirational official photographer for the city of Philadelphia, has died at 62

Mark A. Brooks, 62, of Philadelphia, official photojournalist for the city’s Department of Records and longtime freelance photographer, died Monday, April 29, of a heart attack at his home in Mount Airy.

Mr. Brooks was a painter, poet, and lifelong camera enthusiast, and he worked as the city’s official photographer in the Department of Records for more than a decade. Until he took a leave of absence for health reasons in September 2023, he documented hundreds of official ceremonies, receptions, news conferences, and other city events through his images, and he enjoyed nothing more than poring over historic photos by his predecessors in the city archives.

He photographed dignitaries and celebrities, politicians and community leaders, and he knew practically every nook and cranny of the City Hall complex. He chronicled City Council meetings, community events around town, and city construction sites for archival records.

His favorite assignments, he told his family, came on Thursdays. That’s when City Council routinely recognized ordinary citizens for their extraordinary achievements. It was those faces, of his fellow Philadelphians, shining with community pride, that moved him most deeply, said his sister Theresa.

“His goal,” she said, “was to capture the beautiful things on film.” Longtime friend Steven Erisoty said: “Some of his most beautiful photographs were taken at events like the Philadelphia Clean Block Contest, where he captured the dignity of Philadelphia residents, old and young, in their neighborhoods.”

When he was younger, Mr. Brooks photographed weddings, birthdays, graduations, proms, parties, and other events as a freelance photographer. He also worked in camera shops and as a property manager for a time.

Many of his family’s photographs were lost in a fire when he was young, and Mr. Brooks dedicated himself to recording and preserving their story from that time on. So he took photos at practically every family event thereafter and told his sister: “We have to stay on top of our history.”

He suffered a stroke in his mid-30s and at first became paralyzed from the waist down. He regained limited use of his legs through rehabilitation, and family, friends, and colleagues marveled at his determination to keep working full time.

For years, he used canes, walkers, and wheelchairs to stay mobile. He made many difficult commutes to City Hall over the last decade and often left home in Mount Airy at 3 a.m. to avoid traffic at rush hour.

Police officers, members of the Sheriff’s Office, and others who encountered him daily downtown sometimes stopped traffic to help him reach City Hall and get safely inside. One time, Erisoty said, school children held hands across the street so traffic would stop while he crossed with them.

He also had diabetes and other ailments, and the lower parts of both legs had to be amputated in the last few years. “But he never sulked about life giving him a bad hand,” his sister said. “He was a very independent person.”

Erisoty said: “He was a very positive and upbeat person, and silly.”

Mark Anthony Brooks was born Dec. 19, 1961, in Philadelphia. One of seven children, he spent a lot of his time at the library when he was a boy. He graduated from Simon Gratz High School, attended Community College of Philadelphia, and earned a bachelor’s degree in photography at Temple University.

He was 6 feet 4 inches and went to the gym several times a week for years. He wrote poetry and painted in his spare time, and was active with others who have spinal injuries and amputations at Einstein’s MossRehab center in Elkins Park.

“He was a free spirit,” his sister said. “He had a beautiful smile. He was someone you could talk to for hours. He was kind, good, and warmhearted.”

A friend called him “an amazing, smart, industrious, and single-minded man” in a online tribute. Erisoty said: “He was joyful all his life.”

In addition to his sister, Mr. Brooks is survived by two other sisters, two brothers, and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

A celebration of his life is to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Batchelor Brothers Funeral Services, 7112 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19126.

Donations in his name may be made to MossRehab, 60 Township Line Rd., Elkins Park, Pa. 19027.