Brothers and
Betty--
It
is my sad duty to report to
you that our beloved skipper, Col. Tom, left this life at 11 a.m. on
Saturday morning, January 17, 2009. He died peacefully at Jefferson
Memorial Hospital in Charlestown, W. Va., surrounded by his family. He
had been moved from a nursing home in Hagerstown, Md., to the
Shenandoah Nursing Home in Charlestown on Dec. 22nd. On January 7th, he
showed signs of sepsis and was put into ICU. His organs then began to
fail, and the family opted to let him go on his own time and without
pain.
His,
son, Chris, told me that his
Dad died "with a big smile on his face." That was the Col. Tom we all
knew and loved. He was a giant of a man, a Marine's Marine, a leader
who set the finest of examples, and an American who epitomized all of
the traditions and ideals of our great country. Our hearts go out to
his family and to his beloved wife of many years, Judy.
The
memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2009, @ 1 p.m.
ET at:
Grace
Episcopal Church
112 East Street
Middleway, WV 25430
(304) 725-7073
112 East Street
Middleway, WV 25430
(304) 725-7073
In
lieu of flowers, the Stokes Family has requested that memorials be made
in memory of Col. Tom to:
Marine
Corps Heritage Foundation (http://www.marineheritage.org)
3800 Fettler Park Drive - #104
Dumfries, VA 22025
(800) 397-7585
Donations: http://www.marineheritage.org/MakeDonation.asp
3800 Fettler Park Drive - #104
Dumfries, VA 22025
(800) 397-7585
Donations: http://www.marineheritage.org/
I
will represent the Brotherhood
in Middleway on Saturday. I'd welcome anyone else who can make it. We
were all blessed to know Col. Tom and to serve under his command. His
loss is our loss.
Semper
Fi, and God rest the Skipper's soul--
Warren