Stokes Sr, Edwin Earnest, 90, of Jacksonville, FL died December 30, 2024 at home under Hospice care, with his granddaughter, Heather and her husband, Billy Miller. Born in Cairo, GA on January 21, 1934, Edwin moved with his family to Fort Myers when he was six years old. He reached Eagle Scout status in 1949. Edwin was an Army veteran of the Korean War, stationed in France and assigned to the 469th Engineer Aviation Battalion as a surveyor and construction foreman. He married Gloria Roberts in 1954 and had three sons. Starting as a surveyor with the State, he worked as a private contractor in Pinellas County, creating Stokes Construction, Inc., a family business, in 1997. Edwin lived in Apollo Beach, Clearwater and Inverness before moving to Jacksonville in 2023. Edwin will be remembered as a caring family man, funny and hard-working, always the life of the party. He loved fishing and travel.
Preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Gloria (2020), sons Dennis (2014) and Tony (2022), sisters Virginia Harrison (2023) and Hazel Katzberg (2018), and parents Earnest (1997) and Pauline Stokes (2002).
Edwin is survived by his son, Edwin E. Stokes, Jr, 10 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
