Robert "Bob" Stokes' Obituary
Robert (Bob) Stokes was a true educator, an avid genealogist, and an inspiration to his family. He passed away peacefully on May 26, 2026, at the age 96. Bob was born during the Great Depression in 1931 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He attended high school in Dallas, Texas, before heading off to Baylor University for two years. In the 1950s, he served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard, then returned to Baylor to earn a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree, followed by 60 more hours of graduate work at North Texas State.
Bob started out his career teaching English in Waco and Dallas but soon stepped into management in the Dallas Independent School District, becoming assistant principal at Sunset High School, then principal of W. W. Samuel and Hillcrest High Schools. He moved up to Assistant Director of Secondary Schools at DISD, and finally, Deputy Assistant Superintendent in charge of all Data Processing Services for the district. In 1982, he received the Premier Principal Award given by the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) and in 1983, he was honored with the "Keeper of the Dream" award for his contribution to public education. D Magazine described Bob as "a throwback to the ideals of earlier days, when discipline was prized and the emphasis in school was on the quality of classroom instruction”.
After retiring from DISD, he joined the Tax Payer Advisory Board for the Internal Revenue Service, and opened cleaning stores in the East Texas area of Cedar Creek Lake.
When he sold the business, Bob enjoyed teaching Bible studies at his church, kept financial books for an Investment Group, prepared income tax returns for friends and family, and indulged his great passion for genealogy by serving for a number of years as editor of the Root Seekers Genealogical Society newsletter and as their web technician.
Because of his genealogical work, he was interviewed and quoted in TIME magazine, Reader's Digest, and American Way, the American Airlines in-flight magazine, on how anyone could find their roots—as he had found his. He was related to Parson Weems who wrote fictionalized biographies of famous men such as Ben Franklin and George Washington. (Weems popularized the story of George Washington and the cherry tree.) Like the parson, Bob never stopped teaching—even in his 80s and 90s.
President George Bush gave Bob the National Volunteer Service Award for his contribution to the National Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, an organization within the IRS which acts as an advocate for taxpayers.
Bob is survived by his daughter Cynthia Stokes Parker (husband Dale Parker) and his son Robert-Charles Stokes, two grandchildren Shanda Barksdale Thomas (Joel Thomas) and Keenan Barksdale, as well as two great-grandchildren Reagan and Jackson, all of whom live in the Dallas area. He was preceded in death by his devoted wife Patricia Vestal Stokes. Bob was considered the patriarch of the Stokes family and will long be remembered by his nieces and extended family. A funeral service will be held at Restland funeral home in the Wildwood chapel on Monday, June 1,2026 at 2:00pm.
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