Timothy Allen Brockman, 55, of Mt. Pleasant died unexpectedly on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

Tim was born on October 24, 1961 in Columbia, Missouri to Ellis Brockman and Roberta (Ann) Yehling.  In 1969, the family moved to Mt. Pleasant, where Tim spent the formative years of his childhood.  He was active in Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout, and he was hired as a teenager by Clarence Tuma to work at the Embers, a local fine dining restaurant that began Tim’s life-long-passion for hospitality services.  Tim graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1979, and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Services at Central Michigan University, where he was active in the Sigma Chi Fraternity.  He graduated from CMU in May 1983 and, within a month, married Elizabeth Blackburn at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant.  Together, Tim and Elizabeth had three children: Ann Marie, Kathleen Rose, and Andrew William.  As a family, they were long-time members of St. John’s Episcopal Church. 

Tim began his restaurant management career working for national food retail chains (Bennigan’s Tavern in Chicago from 1983-1985; Chi Chi’s Mexican Restaurants in Saginaw and Columbus from 1985-1988, and the Olive Garden in Columbus from 1988-1996). In 1996, Tim and Elizabeth moved the family back to Mt. Pleasant, where Tim purchased Max & Emily’s Eatery—a twenty-five table deli that became, under Tim’s guidance, a landmark establishment in downtown Mt. Pleasant and around the community.

Through Max & Emily’s, Tim forged and sustained strong partnerships at CMU, especially with CMU Athletics and The College of Business Administration, and he served in leadership roles on several community boards: Michigan Smart Zone, Downtown Development Board, Mt. Pleasant Area Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, United Way, Local Development Finance Authority, Principal Shopping District Board, and CMU’s Presidential Search Committee.

Tim’s most significant community achievements were philanthropic.  He provided strong support for especially the William Ellis Brockman Infant Food Pantry, Boy Scout Troop 604, the John H. Goodrow Fund, and the Wellspring Poetry Series.  Additionally, Tim worked with  Max & Emily’s Manager Christopher Walton, to collaborate with CMU, Isabella Bank, and Downtown Mt. Pleasant to develop and raise funding for the Max & Emily’s Summer Concert Series, a free outdoor concert showcasing primarily nationally recognized, regional, and local artists (many with Michigan roots) for a night of music and fellowship. 

Tim’s most recent achievement at Max & Emily’s was imagining and implementing a program called People Helping People, a phrase coined by the late Richard Parr.  Tim characterized the program as a logical response to a pressing social justice need.   When he realized that the Mt. Pleasant Area Soup Kitchen wasn’t open on Sundays, he decided to open the doors of Max & Emily’s to Soup Kitchen guests and provide each of them with a complementary meal. It was Tim’s hope that People Helping People would grow and become responsive to other basic human needs.  Overall, it was Tim’s goal “to make Mt. Pleasant an even better place to live.”

Tim is the 2017 recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award.

Above all, Tim was dedicated to his wife, children, and their families, and they will forever remember him as a steadfast and loving husband and father.  

Tim is survived by his wife of thirty-four years, Elizabeth Marie; his children, Ann Marie (Tony) Orren, Kathleen (David) Hodgkins, and Andrew (Jordan) Brockman; his three grandchildren: Ella and Jackson Orren and Liam Hodgkins; his mother, Ann Brockman; his brothers Michael (Marcy Taylor) Brockman and Matthew (Teri) Brockman; his aunt, Mary Ellen Bowman; and thirteen nieces and nephews.

Tim is predeceased by his father Ellis Brockman, his uncle William Bowman, and his nephew William Ellis Brockman.

A private memorial service for family will take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church.  A public memorial service will be held at 1PM on March 6, 2017 at the First Presbyterian Church, with the Reverend Wayne Nicolson, rector of St. John’s, and the Reverend Nancy Casey Fulton, deacon of St. John’s, officiating.  The family will receive friends after the service in the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to People Helping People, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and Central Michigan University Athletics. Envelopes are available at the St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, or Rowley Funeral Home.