Herbert E. Stokes

Herbert E. Stokes, Jr. 90, a longtime resident of Abilene, died Wednesday, February 4, 2015 in Abilene. The family will receive and greet friends beginning at 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 13, followed by a service of remembrance at 3:30 p.m. in The Hamil Family Funeral Home Chapel, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene. At Herbert’s request, his body was donated to the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, Texas for medical research. Born in Tahoka, Texas on November 6, 1924, Herbert was the son of Ruby Lou (Hunter) and Herbert Emery Stokes. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 as a radio operator with the 106th Infantry Division, seeing action during the 'Battle of the Bulge' while serving in the European Theater of Operations. He was awarded a Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, and an EAME Campaign Medal with four Bronze Stars. He received an undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University and a master’s degree from Texas Tech University in Organic Chemistry. For 30 years, he worked as a chemist, manager, internal consultant, and then trainer of Organizational Planning and Development for the Procter and Gamble Company in a variety of assignments in various locations, including: Chicago IL, Kansas City KS, Dallas TX, Cincinnati OH, Albany GA, and Frankfurt, Germany. His efforts at P&G GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany resulted in the company becoming the top performer of all of P&G’s European subsidiaries at the time. And in 2002, his efforts at the Albany, Georgia paper products plant were recognized in developing the highest producing P&G paper products plant in the world. Following his retirement, he returned to Texas where he founded Herb Stokes Associates, Inc., a management consulting firm whose list of clients included Shell Chemical, Exxon, Rohm and Haas Chemical, Digital Equipment Corp., Frito-Lay, Pepsico, McDonald's and M&M Mars. He also operated a cattle breeding operation, ‘Rosebud Red Brangus’, for almost 10 years at his ranch in Oplin, Texas. He married Dorothy Lynn Francis on August 20, 1948. She preceded him in death on August 13, 2005. He was also preceded in death by one son, Steven Stokes; his parents; and three sisters, Mildred Stokes, Natalie Evans, and Beth Goolsby. Survivors include three sons, Scott Stokes and wife Lynn of Arlington, Texas, George “Tony” Forbis-Stokes of Potosi, Texas, and Mark Stokes and wife Elma of Bristow, Virginia; two sisters, Maxine Morgan of Eastland, Texas, and Jeanne Gordon of Springfield, Illinois; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family request that memorial contributions be made to Southwest Parkinson’s Society, 3610 22nd Street, Lubbock, TX 79410, Attn: Jo Bridwell.