Goodbye, Old Friend

"And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"

Spurgeon F. Stokes, 88, of West Hartford, beloved husband of Betty Ann (Haslam) Stokes, passed away peacefully Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 11:11 p.m. at his home. Spurgeon, also know as Poppa, was born on May 9, 1925 in Lexington, North Carolina son of Arlene (Feezor) and Oscar Barker Stokes.

Spurgeon proudly served in WWII in the South Pacific for the US Navy. He moved to Connecticut in 1946 and met his wife, Betty Ann, the love of his life whom he was married to for 60 years. He attended the Hartford Business School and worked at Pratt and Whitney for 42 years.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his son Christopher and his wife Mary Ann of West Hartford, his daughter Lyne and her partner Mike Murray of West Hartford, and his daughter Alison S. Ritrovato and her husband Charlie of Lyme; and his adored grandchildren Kyle and Alyssa Stokes, Eric and Alex Smith, Phoebe and Isabel Ritrovato. He was predeceased by his brother O.B. Stokes and his sisters Mary, Polly and Grace.

Spurgeon volunteered for many organizations including the Boy Scouts of America where he was a long term scout master and the Rotary of East Hartford where he was a Paul Harris Fellow.

Friends may call at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 136 South Main Street, West Hartford on Friday November 29th from 4:00-7:00 p.m. A private family burial will be held Saturday morning November 30, 2013. There will be a public celebration of his life held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 30 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford. Please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com for directions or to leave messages of condolences.

(Obituary from the Hartford Courant)