Marilyn Stokes

Olive “Marilyn” Stokes, age 87, of Alexandria Virginia, passed away on March 22, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

The eldest of six siblings, Mrs. Stokes was a native of Chillicothe, Missouri, where she was a noted academic success, accomplished horse-back rider, and snare drummer in her high school band. She graduated from Chillicothe Business School, while helping raise her siblings upon the loss of their father. During World War II, she worked at the Pratt & Whitney engine factory in Kansas City Missouri, and volunteered with the USO, meeting future husband Clinton “Smokey” Stokes, a pilot en-route to combat at D-Day and beyond.

Marilyn and Smokey wed in 1946, her wedding dress fashioned from the silk of his war-time parachute. Northern Virginia became their permanent home in 1954, where they worked and raised two children. Mrs. Stokes worked for Fairfax County Public Schools from 1965-1987 as front office, then principal’s secretary at Thomas Jefferson High School.

In retirement, Mrs. Stokes joined her husband in international travel, performed volunteer service in the White House mail room, and continued her life-long involvement in handcrafts, correspondence and reading. A gifted singer, she was a member of the Fairlington United Methodist Church choir for four decades. A devoted mother, she nurtured the educational and musical pursuits of her children and grandchildren, and lent her time and talents to a variety of activities in support of family, friends, school and community.

Mrs. Stokes is pre-deceased by her husband of 56 years, and survived by daughter Judy, son Denny, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and two adult grandchildren, Adam and Beverly.