Dr. Edwin Sylvester (Sid) Brokken Jr passed away Monday evening, October 9, 2017, at home in ColtsNeck, N. J. He was 82 years of age. The son of Edwin S. Brokken Sr. and Benita Murilda (Redalen) Brokken, Sid was born on July 27, 1935 in Lanesboro, Minn., the eldest of seven children. He attended the one-room Brokken School in Bristol Township, graduated from Harmony High School, and attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from 1952–1963 where he graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He also served in the United States Navy aboard the destroyer USS Cowell in the Pacific.
On October 3, 1959, Sid married Patricia Ann Simon, youngest daughter of Maurice and Alice Simon, in Somerset, Wis. Dr Brokken practiced as a large animal and later small animal veterinarian in Minnesota prior to moving to Missouri in 1969, where he worked for Merck & Co. as Director of Animal Research for 12 years. A landmark part of his research was participating in the development of Ivermectin, the revolutionary anti-parasite drug, the founders of which were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. Dr Brokken was Merck’s Senior Director of Animal R&D from 1981–87. For the next 10 years, he was Vice President of Research, Animal Health Division, at Schering-Plough.
Dr. Brokken was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, James and Bingham. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their five children: Angela, Amy, Alex, Anita and Adrian; his brothers, William, Thomas and Frederick; sister Bonnie; 12 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Sid was a great brother, husband, and father. He will always remain lovingly in our hearts.
The visitation will be held on Thursday October 19 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Ave. Red Bank, N. J. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 20 at 10 a.m. at the Church of St. Catherine Laboure 110 Bray Ave. Middletown, N.J. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital at www.stjude.org. Please visit Edwin’s memorial website at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.