March 30, 1927 ~ October 3, 2018
Theodore H. Stokes passed away into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the morning of Wednesday, October 3rd, at the age of 91.
Ted was born on March 30, 1927 in Phoenix, AZ to Ethel Irene Faulk Stokes and Theodore Hudson Stokes. He grew up in Glendale, CA and graduated from Monrovia High School. In 1944 he reported for active duty at Redlands University in the V12 Officer Training Program. Ted worked towards an engineering degree while experiencing many of the rigors of military life.
After the conclusion of World War II in 1945, Ted transferred to the University of Southern California, where he was on active duty as an apprentice seaman in Naval ROTC. In 1947 he graduated USC with a degree in Foreign Trade and was commissioned as an Ensign in the inactive reserve. On September 2nd, 1947, he married Patricia Mary Bolam. After his marriage he worked in Bishop, CA as a Shell Oil truck driver, and in LA as a field engineering aide for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In January of 1948, he and Pat moved to Washington, D.C. where Ted attended the Naval Intelligence School at Anacostia. During the Korean War he worked at thePentagon in the Operational Section of the Office of Naval Intelligence--Special Intelligence, intercepting Russian radio communications. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and was a courier of special intelligence to the Chief of Naval Operations. During this time he also took night classes at George Washington University’s law school.
In 1953 Ted, Pat and their first two children Danny and Janet, moved to Bishop, CA. To earn the money for law school he mined sheelite, an ingredient in steel, with his father Hud and uncle Lee in Ophir Canyon at Round Mountain, NV. In 1955 he entered Hastings Law School in San Francisco, CA. In 1957 he graduated and moved to Carson City, NV, to take a position as the one of the first two law clerks at the state’s Supreme Court. In 1958 he passed the bar exam and worked for notable attorney Homer Angelo. In 1960 he was deputy district attorney; in 1961 he himself was elected DA for Carson City and Ormsby County, and served in that office from 1962 to 1966. Ted practiced law until well into his seventies, and had several clients from overseas. He visited Europe many times. He kept a sailboat on Lake Tahoe for decades, a source of much happiness and many funny stories to him and his children. He was President and then District
Governor of Rotary Club District 5190, and hosted several Rotary Exchange Students. He turned his garden into a veritable “Fort Veggie” to keep out those darn ground squirrels. Until he was very old he cooked for and hosted the ever-larger Stokes family dinners, and continued to preside over them until the time of his death.
Ted is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Patricia; his younger brother David; and many of his dear friends made throughout his long life.
He is survived by his four children and their families: son Daniel (children Levi Stokes and Olympia Fuss, and Olympia’s children Loa and Holland Fuss with husband Josh Fuss); daughter Janet Stokes (and her daughters Lisa Suhr and Gina Burnaugh); son Kenneth (and his daughters Taylor and Haley Stokes with his wife Kristin Stokes, and Taylor’s sons Jay and Jaden Chung); and son Steven Stokes.
He was a hunter, a fisherman, a golfer, a gardener, a cook, a baker, a sharp mind, and an adventurous spirit who will missed by his family and friends.
His memorial service will be held at Hilltop Community Church, 3588 Romans Rd in Carson City, Friday, October 19, at 11:00 a.m.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
