Sandra Stokes

Dr. Sandra Stokes, 64, Green Bay, died Monday afternoon, March 26, 2012, in her home, attended by family and friends. She passed away due to renal failure following a 6-year battle with multiple myeloma. 

A die-hard New York Yankees fan, "Sandy," as she was known to friends and family, was born Oct. 23, 1947, in Queens, N.Y., to Henry F. Stokes and Ruth Helen (Kovacs) Stokes. She graduated from Ramsey High School in Ramsey, N.J. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport (Conn.), her master's at Fairfield University (Conn.), and her Ph.D. at Kent State (Ohio). Dr. Stokes taught at Kent State and Youngstown State, Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., and Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, prior to serving at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB). 

Dr. Stokes influenced and trained many future teachers and teacher candidates during her 16-year career in the Education Department at UWGB. A tenured full professor, she was a member of the Graduate Faculty in Education, served as Chair of Women's Studies, and served on many University committees and posts before her retirement in 2009. As Director of Clinical Experiences in Education, she was responsible for the placement of all UWGB student teachers and students in clinical field experience in and around Green Bay. 

A passionate advocate of early childhood literacy, Dr. Stokes was the University's liaison for early childhood education to the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wis. She not only designed the program for that two-year college, but also taught there for two years while also teaching at UWGB. She served as advisor to Menominee students who chose to continue their education at UWGB. 

A member of the International Reading Association, Dr. Stokes served as editor of the Wisconsin State Reading Association Journal from 2004 to 2010. She was also active in the Green Bay community. She was a member of Leadership Green Bay, the League of Women Voters, Altrusa International, and was a board member of Guardian Angels of Green Bay. She worked with the Family Literacy Program of Greater Green Bay, was a board member of Reading Connections, Inc., and was co-president of the Greater Baylands Reading Council. In 2004, she was appointed by Gov. James Doyle to the Wisconsin Council on Physical Disabilities. 

In Alliance, Ohio, Sandy served on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, and she continued her service in Green Bay as a member of the Salvation Army's Women's Auxiliary. She was also a supporter of the Humane Society, and had adopted several dogs from the shelter, including her two beloved Brittany spaniels, Monty and Bennie. 

Among her personal pursuits, Sandy was particularly proud of the pilot's license she earned in 1985. The daughter of a World War II test pilot, she was passionate about flying, and was a near-annual attendee at the EAA fly-in at Oshkosh, Wis. She was a member of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots. 

She leaves behind a son, Andrew, Green Bay; a brother, Hal, sister-in-law, Kim Dickinson, and niece, Hannah, all of Scituate, Mass.; her dear friend, Salvation Army Maj. Jean Manhollan, Green Bay; and her father, Henry, a resident of Carrington Manor, Green Bay. Her mother, Ruth, pre-deceased her. 

Visitation for Dr. Stokes will be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 347 Libal Street, De Pere, on Saturday, April 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. Memorial service will be at 11 am Saturday, April 14, with Rev. Raymond W. Ryerson officiating. MALCORE (EAST) Funeral Home is serving the family. 

The family has requested that donations be made in lieu of flowers to any of the following: the Multiple Myeloma Foundation, the Bay Area Humane Society, One Book/One Community (Green Bay), or the College of the Menominee library. 

Visit the Malcore Funeral Home website to send an online condolence to the family. 

(Obituary published March 28 to April 1, 2012, Green Bay Press-Gazette; reprinted with permission from Kevin Corrado, president and publisher, Green Bay Press-Gazette.)