Obituary of Brook Darrow Gutman

Brook Darrow Gutman, 83, of Portland, OR died on June 14, 2021 of causes related to stroke. Born in New York City to Walter and Dorothy (Darrow) Gutman, Brook grew up the middle sibling to sisters Judith (Judy) and Susannah (Sukie). When Brook was quite young, the family moved to Hattertown in rural Connecticut. It was there that Brook had a horse, Sherry, whom he adored, and a best friend to pal around with, Johnny Johnson. The family later moved to Westport, Connecticut, where Brook graduated from Staples High School. Brook briefly attended college, but then chose to enlist in the Army. He spent two years in Germany as a member of the military police. Upon his return to the U.S. he realized that what he really wanted to do was to work with plants. He earned an associate's degree in horticulture and moved to Ohio to work in a large nursery. It was there that he met Diane Valentine. They married and moved to Oregon and raised three children together; Carolyn, Jim and Sarah. He dedicated himself to being a good father. He was always proud of his kids. In 1971 he began his career as landscape manager for the newly-established community of Mountain Park in Lake Oswego. He remained there for 27 years and took great pride in his work. Upon his retirement, a green space was named in his honor, Brook Gutman Park. After retirement, he and Diane decided to divorce. He later met Nadene Miller and they began to share their life together. Brook and Nadene enjoyed spending time with their families and their pets and they loved finding a great restaurant. Nadene's three children became a second family for Brook. Brook was very generous with his time and with his money. He cared deeply for people in need and was interested in their lives. He volunteered at several locations in the Portland area, including Outside-In, Meals on Wheels and The Oregon Humane Society. For over 25 years he volunteered with Potluck in the Park, preparing and serving meals to the homeless, rarely missing a weekend. For some time he attended West Hills Unitarian Fellowship. He felt useful getting there early to make the coffee. Brook also became an avid reader after retirement, reading the New York Times each morning and reading a wide variety of books. He was passionate about sharing his thoughts about the world and was interested in what others thought, as well. Brook's greatest loss was the death of his son, Jim Gutman, who died in 2009. He is survived by his partner, Nadene; his daughters, Carolyn Gutman-Dey (Graham) and Sarah (Roberto) Silva; grandchildren Olivia (Allan), Ana, Rowan and Emilio; sisters, Judy (Gerry) and Sukie, several nieces and nephews, and Nadene's family, Toby (Nicole), Patrick and Heidi (Ash). A celebration of Brook's life will be held on Saturday, August 7th at 10:00 a.m.. Interested parties are asked to email sasusi54@gmail.com for location. Those wishing to do so, may make a contribution in Brook's name to Potluck in the Park, or to a charity of their choice.