Mrs. Janie E. Stokes of Woodstock, GA passed away Tuesday April 10, 2012 at home with her husband Bruce and daughter Heather by her side after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 61.
Funeral services will be held 10:00 A.M. Monday, April 16, 2012 at Timothy Lutheran Church with the Rev. Stephen Constien officiating. Visitation will be held Sunday, April 15, 2012 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Woodstock Funeral Home. Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to www.gaovariancancer.org/donate/
Mrs. Stokes was born October 23, 1950 to the late Leon and Cynthia Cutler Martin in Potsdam, New York. Janie attended Potsdam High School. She obtained a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in English and Education at the State University of New York at Potsdam and a Gifted Specialist Degree from Berry College in Rome, GA. Janie and Bruce were married August 19, 1972 in Potsdam, New York and were happily married for 39 years. She had a lifelong love of children and her childhood ambition was to become an educator. Mrs. Stokes realized her ambition by teaching for 35 years in New York, Michigan, Cobb and Cherokee Counties where she positively touched the lives of hundreds of young students. She was honored as the Cherokee County Teacher of the Year in 1988 and the Cobb County Teacher of the year in 1994.
Janie’s other passion was making quilts. She collected over 140 children’s story books that incorporated quilts in the story. Her dream of using books and quilts based on the stories as an educational tool has been realized by an organization called “Story Book Quilts-Janie’s Dream”. Her quilt guild, Chattahoochee Evening Stars, to date, has made quilts to compliment thirty-seven of the storybooks. The quilts and books are lent to schools and libraries in the metro Atlanta area for their reading programs.
Janie is survived by her husband Bruce G. Stokes, Woodstock, GA.; daughter, Heather Elizabeth Wurst, (Peter),Pennsburg, Pennsylvania; one son, Nathaniel Martin Stokes, Central Square, New York; one granddaughter, Emma Elizabeth Wurst, Pennsburg, Pennsylvania; one sister, Catherine Yack, Huntsville, AL.; two brothers, Leon Martin, Jr., (Paula) Potsdam, New York, and Robert Martin, (Marie) Potsdam, New York; mother-in-law, Alice Stokes, South Byron, New York; one brother-in-law, Douglas Stokes, Poway, California; two sisters-in-law, Sandra Gillard (Craig), Batavia, New York, and Kathy Cummings (Dan), South Byron, New York.
Online condolences may be made to www.woodstockfuneralhome.com
