Shirley Jacob Stokes was born on October 10, 1932, in Decatur General Hospital to Ela Mae Simpson and William Alfred Jacob. She was a member of the final graduating class at Riverside High School in Decatur. At only 16, she took a job at General Motors Acceptance Corporation to work until age 18, the required age to enter the nursing program at Tulane University. The most significant thing about her stay at GMAC was her friendship with a co-worker who invited her to go on a date with her fiancé and a friend, Cecil Stokes, whom she married in 1963. They were happy together as long as they both lived. He describes her as “the perfect wife.”
She attended classes at UAH, earning a bachelor’s degree in English. She then earned a MSW degree in social work at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She worked as a social worker for DHR in various units including Child Support services, Child Welfare and a Jobs program which included benefits eligibility determination as well as counseling for jobs and other support services.
Upon retirement from the state, she served Faith Presbyterian Church as a Deacon, an Elder, and a teacher on teams working with elementary age children. She worked in church related volunteer activities such as Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army food service, Homeless relocation activity, and various community programs for the elderly. She served for a few years as church newsletter editor, bringing it into the computer age and giving it the lasting name “Voice of Faith.” She volunteered for a couple of years as a docent at the Museum of Art. She took the Master Gardener course and volunteered at Huntsville Botanical Garden for several years. She was a member of PEO and served on the Landscaping and Sunshine committees of the Magnolia Trace Residents Association during her years in that retirement community.
Survivors include husband, Cecil Stokes; brother-in-law Burt Stokes (Sherry) of Bonita Springs, FL; nephews, Michael Jacobs (Andrea) of Columbia, MD, Patrick Jacobs (Dora) of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Lawrence Stokes (Julie) of Greenville, SC, Tom Stokes (Courtney) of Milwaukee, WI; and niece, Jenni Stokes of Huntersville, NC.
After spending 13 days in the hospital Shirley succumbed to pneumonia on July 27, 2023, while her husband held her hand and reminisced over their wonderful years together.
A memorial service is planned for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, at Huntsville’s Faith Presbyterian Church at 5003 Whitesburg Drive, 35802, followed by a reception in its Fellowship Hall.
