Robert A. Stokes, 91, peacefully passed away surrounded in his family’s love on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in his daughter’s home in Goshen.
Born in La Gloria, Cuba, on Jan. 25, 1934, Bob was the son of William and Mary Reid Stokes. In 1945, his parents sent him ahead of them to live with his aunt and uncle in Fort Wayne. He would graduate from Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne.
Bob served in the U.S. Navy as a gunner’s mate (GM), transporting soldiers and their families on ships overseas to Korea, during the Korean War, and was honorably discharged in 1954.
On April 5, 1958, in a beautiful Lutheran ceremony in Fort Wayne, Bob took Julia “Judy” Arnold as his wife. They would welcome seven children. The couple lived in Fort Wayne until making the move to Crystal Lake in Warsaw in 1962. They would share a paper route and their kids helped deliver newspapers every Sunday morning. The couple always made sure to attend church every Sunday as a family as well.
A hard-working man and provider for his home, Bob worked in shipping and receiving for R.R. Donnelley & Sons and as a grocer at Owen’s Kroger. He would retire from Kroger in 1986 and Donnelley’s in 1996.
He always had a green thumb and enjoyed working in his flower gardens. In Bob’s later years, he enjoyed talking about his hometown in Cuba and childhood days, working in the sugar cane fields. The family enjoyed hearing those memories. The couple were members of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Warsaw. Two sons attended Purdue University, sparking his love for Purdue sports as well as following the Detroit Lions and Tigers.
Bob was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. He was faithful to his wife Judy throughout their marriage of 62 years. He attended most of his grandchildren’s sporting and school events.
He will be dearly missed by his children: Tammy (Jeff) Virgil, of Etna Green; Tim (Pat) Stokes, of Flat Rock, Mich.; Sheryl Hanna, of Warsaw; Shelly Poling, of Goshen; Todd (Sherry) Stokes, of Charleston, Ill.; Shawn (Elizabeth) Stokes, of Elkhart; and Joel Stokes, of Warsaw; 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and siblings, Ralph Stokes, of Orlando, Fla.; and Margaret Gruelach, of Fort Wayne.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Judy in 2020; his parents; grandson, Travis Perney; son-in-law, Mark Hanna; sister, Flora Stokes; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Larry Gruelach and Annette Stokes.
Family burial will take place in the Riverview Cemetery, Churubusco, with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Still Water Hospice through Stillwater Foundation, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46814-4202 Attn: Development.
To sign the guestbook or send a condolence to the family, please visit www.mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com