My Uncle - Who was in the Marine Corps passed away -- "DEDICATED TO THE ONES WE LOVE....."

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Date Posted: 11:49:32 05/14/07 Mon
Author: U.S. Marine Corps in 1943
Subject:

My Uncle - Who was in the Marine Corps passed away

C. Ray Stokes, 93, passed away Friday, May 11, 2007, in Fort Worth.
Funeral: 2 p.m. Tuesday at Faith United Methodist Church. Burial: Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Mount Olivet Funeral Home.

Active pallbearers: Dr. Shelley Howell of Temple, Dr. James Frolick of Bonham, Dr. Roy Lowry of Fort Worth, Dr. Mark Baker of Fort Worth, Dr. Jay Beckwith of Fort Worth.

Honorary pallbearers: Faithful Followers Class of Faith United Methodist Church, Texas College of Osteopathic Medical Alumni, Dr. Carl Everett, Jack Morton of Dallas, John Williams of Shreveport, La. and Tommy Hawks.

Memorials: can be made to the Faith United Methodist Church, where Mr. Stokes taught the Christian Homemakers Class for over 50 years, and the Ray and Edna Stokes Scholarship Fund.

C. Ray Stokes, a retired employee of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and, more recently, a consultant for the Osteopathic Health System of Texas, was born Nov. 25, 1913, in Farmer, Young County.

A Fort Worth resident for more than 65 years, Mr. Stokes lived his early youth with his paternal grandmother in Chattanooga, Tenn., before moving to Fort Worth in 1931. He and his mother lived near Mulkey Memorial Methodist Church where he met his bride-to-be, Edna Dixon. They graduated from Central High School (now Paschal) in 1932. They celebrated their 72nd anniversary on Christmas, 2006.

It was said of Mr. Stokes that he wore many hats during his working lifetime. He worked for 16 years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as a carrier salesman, city district manager and county circulation director before entering the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943. He served as a combat correspondant in the Central Pacific, Okinawa, Japan and China.

Following his military service, Mr. Stokes earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from TCU while operating the Stokes-Morton advertising agency. He later became director of sales and customer relations and director of safety at B.F. Walker Inc., an oilfield transportation company.

Stokes' affection for the Methodist Church began in Electra, and continued in Chattagooga, then Fort Worth where he served as president of the Methodist Youth Fellowship, member of the board of stewards, chairman of the board at Riverside Methodist Church, Fort Worth District lay leader and associate conference lay leader. In January 1963, he accepted an offer by conference leaders to become the executive director of the Wesleyan Home, in Georgetown, an assisted-living retirement center owned by the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The job Mr. Stokes enjoyed most was his association with the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM). He was the first employee hired and his commitment to the institution lasted more than 35 years. He was hired in 1969 to conduct a feasibility study to determine if the D.O. Texas profession would support the college financially. Besides being its first employee, Mr. Stokes also was director of development, public information officer, first registrar, business manager, purchasing agent and student financial aid officer. His last assignment with TCOM was as creator of special collections and archivist for the Gibson Lewis Memorial Library.

Although he and Edna never had any children, they had almost 2,000 "kids" as Mr. Stokes called them -- graduates of TCOM, now the medical division of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In 1990, Mr. Stokes co-authored the "History of TCOM," which was written unlike a textbook.

Mr. Stokes' honors were numerous. He served as president of the Riverside Civic League from 1950 to 1952, president of the Lions Organ and Eye Bank of District 2-E2, president of the East Fort Worth Lions Club and was named "Lion of the Year" in 1976.

He was the recipient of the Meritorius Service Award from TCOM in 1974, a Founder's Medal recipient from TCOM in 1984, and named executive director emeritus of the TCOM Alumni Association. Mr. Stokes was awarded an associate life membership and honorary membership in the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. He also was a member of the Osteopathic Medical Center Guild of Texas and chairman of the guild's scholarship committee. As a hospital volunteer, he earned more than 5,000 hours in eight years. When he retired the medical school dedicated a conference room and named it "The Ray and Edna Stokes Conference Room."

Additional honors include Who's Who in Methodism, Who's Who in Texas, 1985-86, and a meritorius service award presented to both Ray and Edna by the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association Board of Trustees in 1994.

Mr Stokes was preceded in death by his Sister Lorraine Cooper and Mother Nina Pat Thor.

Survivors: Wife, Edna Stokes; nieces, Darla Holland and husband Tyler Texas, Bill, Sylvia Autrey, Cheryl Renick and Margaret Gist; nephews, Wyndell Boggs and Carroll Ray Cooper, Tyler Texas. Great Niece, Niski Paredes, Livingston Texas..

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