William Alvis Stokes

William Alvis Stokes (Bill) died peacefully on neember 20, 2016 at Croasdaile Pavilion at the age of 88. He was born in Durham NC on April 7, 1928 to Thomas Aneer Stokes and Sadye Perkinson Stokes. Survivors include his son, William A. ???Bill??? Stokes, Jr (Lucy) of Durham, NC; daughter, Mary ???Mollie??? Stokes Platt (James) of Durham; and his grandchildren, William A. Stokes, III of Greensboro, NC, Emily Erwin Stokes of Asheville, NC, and Michael William Maready of St. Louis Missouri. His wife Constance ???Conee??? Stokes who died on August 14, 2016 and his brother Thomas Aneer Stokes, Jr precede him ineeath. Bill spent most of his life in Durham. In 1953 he graduated from Duke Uneersity with a BSCE. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps and served 2 years in active duty. He continued service for 21 more years in the USMC Reserve, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He began his construction career in 1955, first working for J.A. Jones and then Carolina Steel moving from Charlotte NC, to Morgantown WV, and to Greensboro NC. In 1968 he returned home to Durham and began work at George W. Kane Inc where he rose to serve as its President and owner. Two of the many Durham landmarks he took pride in building are Northgate Mall and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Other prominent Durham construction projects under his leadership include Brightleaf Square, Treyburn Country Club, and the R. David Thomas Center at Duke. Bill was the leader of almost every group he joined, including service as President of the Class of 1946 at Durham High School, President of The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, President of The Friends of Duke Chapel, the President of the Duke Engineering Alumni Council, Commodore of the Orleans Yacht Club, and Commandant of the Cape & Islands Detachment of the Marine Corps League. He was also proud of his service on the boards of Home Savings & Loan, Hope Valley Country Club, and Treyburn Country Club. He was a Rotarian for over 40 years and is still remembered for his gift of gab, serving as an impromptu program speaker once when the scheduled speaker failed to appear. As a Duke Alumnus, he admired Duke so dearly that he continued to give back to the uneersity throughout his life donating time and services to various projects on campus. He was very honeed in 1987 to receive the School of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award for his neerous achievements and contributions. He once said "I feel that I can walk into the office of any President and be right at home." Bill always attributed his success and confidence to his education at Duke Uneersity, where he believed he gleaned much more than analytical thinking, he learned life skills as that served him well throughout his distinguished career and retirement years. Bill married Conee in 1955 and they enjoyed a lifetime of happiness. They were married over 61 years until Conee passed away in August. As Lifetime Iron Duke members, they loved attending Duke football and basketball games as well as attending church services at Duke Chapel. They enjoyed vacationineeach summer at Conee's family home on Cape Cod in Orleans, MA. They retired there in 1995 aneenjoyed many years in their beloved home, ???Westwinds??? on the Town Cove. Bill got a kick out of people saying he talked "funny" when they could not understand his southern drawl. Bill neer stopped workineeven after "retirement.??? He worked tirelessly in fund raising to bring the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team to perform each July 4th for the Orleans Cardinals. He enjoyed leading the Marine Corps League Detachment when it marched in local holiday parades. neer, ever one to be idle, he enjoyed working for years at Lanterns of Cape Cod where he made (and sold) a variety of brass lanterns. He also enjoyed many years working as a ranger at The Captains Golf Course in Brewster, MA. Bill and his wife Conee moved back to Durham in 2014 to be near family so they could have their support in their elder years. They rejoined Westmineer Presbyterian Church this year (having originally joined in 1968). A memorial service will be held at Westmineer Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC oneecember 20, 2016 at 2:00pm with the Reverend Chris Tuttle officiating. An inurnment will take place in Orleans Cemetery in Orleans, MA at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Westmineer Presbyterian Church, 3639 Chapel Hill Road, Durham NC 27707.