Helen M. Stokes Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Obituary & Funeral Livestream Information A Magnolia tree graced the yard at 206 North Green Street. It was a Lincolnville landmark, the birthplace of the Elliott Children, Margaret, Jean, Raymond, Helen and Barbara Anne. We were all born on Carroll Street in Portsmouth, Va. The middle child of the family, As a baby, we were told, she was easy to manage and very well disciplined. We were also told that when she was a baby, colorful pictures fascinated her, which is probably the beginning of her interest in art. She grew up to be a very shy and calm young lady. She started school in 1940’s and attended elementary, junior and senior high school in the Portsmouth Public Schools. In high school, she was a member of the DO Club (Diversified Occupation), Newspaper Staff and Pep Club. As a senior at I. C. Norcom High School, Helen participated in all of the events leading up to graduation. For a short period of time, she found satisfaction in becoming a cheerleader. When there was a request for the senior class song, she created the words and entitled it “Departure,” sung in the tune of time “It’s a Sin,” a popular hit song of the time. An average student, high school was the time she learned the fundamentals of academics and life, the period she develop social skills The experience became stressful at times, but she stepped out of her comfort zone, managed it, and met lasting friends. Upon Graduating in June of ’52, she attended Norfolk Division of Va. State College for a semester, but she soon found an opportunity to attend a nursing school. Becoming a member of the Nursing profession was her desire. At the age of 18, and left Portsmouth and went to live in the Big Apple, New York. She completed a term at the Central School for Practical Nurses and later graduated with honors as a Laboratory Technician from the Mandl School for Medical Assistants. Her first job in her profession was at the Bellevue Medical Center in the polio division. She retired in 1995 as a Laboratory Technician at the New Jersey Blood Center and, as a volunteer, was known as the “Foster Grandparent” for The Day Care Council of New Brunswick, NJ. In 1959, she met and married Eugene Stokes (Deceased). From that union, they became parents of an only son Jerry (Deceased). Helen obtained a new family when she was adopted as a surrogate mother and mother – in-law to Charmaine and Melvin Weldon of New Jersey. Her new family also includes step-grandchildren, Janae and Melvin, Jr., whom she referred to as “Lil Mel” even after he became an adult. Before confined by her illness, Helen was very active and well – known in her church, First Baptist of Lincoln Gardens. She devotedly served as a member of the Women’s Ministry which included the Women’s Auxiliary, SeniorFellowship, Pastor’s Aide Circle, Volunteer for the Harvest of Hope Family Services Network, Inc, the Book Club of Blanche, and the Scholarship Committee working very diligently to raise money by encouraging others to attend each year. She was very proud to admit that she sold the most tickets to the fashion show scholarship event, which even attracted the cookie man “Famous Amos” to attend. Sis. Stokes was very talented and creative. She was a seamstress and an accomplished artist; she once attended an art class to become even better in that skill. She once displayed her art creations at an art show and even sold three of them. She was not an avid football fan, as many of the family members are, but she would sit all day to watch a basketball game, her favorite sport. She loved to shop to grab the deals, especially on Black Friday. Her love for family and friends borders on reverence; she enjoys just being around them, especially on holidays. An excellent cook, she often arranged backyard and in-house parties for her friends, who raved about her pork barbecue and rum cake. There was no end to the heroic sacrifices she made for family. She was there to comfort, offer healthful, as well as financial support to her siblings and others she loved. She could also be a disciplinarian! When her son Jerry and goddaughter Tracye were kids and acted up in play at the dinner table, she would threaten to take the skin off of their fried chicken. Helen was the kind of sister everyone should have: Heroic: There was no end to her bravery and sacrifices when family members or friends needed her to be strong; kindhearted, generous and Loving: As the rest of us, Helen suffered the knocks and blows of life, and like the rest of us, she survived. On Monday, January 24, 2022, Helen Marie Stokes departed this life. While absent in flesh, her joyous spirit lives on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. She leaves to cherish her memories her only surviving sibling Barbara Flowers Washington, DC), Nieces: Jean Clark(Colorado) Vernadette (Manassas, VA; Patricia (Frank) Fredericksburg, VA; Francine (Lowell) Georgia, Tracye (Goddaughter) Washington, DC; and loving Adopted family Weldon: Charmaine, Melvin, Mel, Jr.Janae, and Melva. (New Jersey). (Sisters Margaret and Jean and Brother Raymond preceded her in transition.) **********************Funeral Livestream Via Zoom************************* Thursday, February 3, 2022, 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81924544699?pwd=TXpCRlFlNU9nUENlbFBrUlJhR2N5UT09 Password: 408821 Meeting ID: 819 2454 4699 Password: 408821 Or Telephone: Dial: USA 602 333 2017 USA 8882045987 (US Toll Free) Conference code: 349894 Find local AT&T Numbers: https://www.teleconference.att.com/servlet/glbAccess?process=1&accessNumber=8882045987&accessCode=349894

Helen M. Stokes

July 11, 1934 - January 24, 2022