Robert Stokes Obituary

Robert M. Stokes, age 75, beloved Husband, Father, Grandpa, and Friend, passed from our presence to be with the Lord, Tuesday December 13, 2011.

He is survived by Carole his loving wife of 52 years; three children, Brent (Lee Mei), Suzanne Stokes (Jim Fossett), and Philip; grandchildren, Natalie and Isaac Stokes, and Grace and Emerson Fossett; also surviving him is his sister, Mary Beth (John) Wolf. He was preceded in death by his father, Sheridan; his mother, Esther; and his brother, Richard.

He was born on May 21, 1936, and raised on the family farm in Ramsey, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Science (1958), Master of Science (1960), and Doctor of Philosophy, Physiology and Pharmacology (1963) from Michigan State University. In 1963 he moved to Kent, Ohio with Carole and their young children to begin a career at Kent State University as a professor for 39 years in the Biological Sciences Department.

He was active in the Kent Garden Club, and the men's work group at the United Methodist Church. He loved joking, fishing, sports, music, traveling, creating art and spending time with his grandchildren.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate his life in a memorial service to be held Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Kent Ohio. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. before the service. The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to Kent Social Services or the United Methodist Church. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bissler & Sons Funeral Home.