After many years living with both heart and kidney disease, Roy Edmund Stockes Jr. passed away peacefully at 91 at his home in California on August 25, 2024. Roy was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Rae Claudette Loudermilk Stockes, and his parents, Roy Edmund Stockes Sr. and Annie Felicia Bobbitt Stockes.
Roy was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Hyattsville, Md. As a boy, he loved baseball and recounted memories of playing in the area of the Washington Mall among the many National Monuments. He often had a job handing out flyers at the Washington Redskins games and then was able to watch the games for free. Roy remembers meeting NFL great and Redskins QB Sammy Baugh. He graduated from McKinley Technical High School (District of Columbia) in 1951. It was at McKinley Tech that Roy began developing his love for aviation and engineering. In high school, he joined the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp) because it allowed him to occasionally spend weekends around airplanes. It was during this time that Roy had his first airplane ride in a Navy Trainer. Needless to say, Roy was hooked!
In the fall of 1951, Roy enrolled at the University of Maryland in College Park. Roy intended to get an engineering degree and learn to fly. He joined the ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corp) his freshman year. He hoped that this would give him an early start on a military career and an opportunity to obtain his pilot’s license while attending college. Roy’s love of aviation soon led him to withdraw from college and join the Naval Reserves. It was then that Roy earned his basic pilot’s license. After discussions with active-duty naval personnel, Roy decided that a career in the newly formed (1947) United States Air Force would be a quicker route to the cockpit of a military aircraft.
Roy attended OTS (Officer Training School) and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the USAF in 1953. He was sent to Pilot Training and earned his wings in 1954. He was a navigator and pilot in the United States Air Force for twenty years. He flew various aircraft in the Strategic Air Command, Air Training Command and the Tactical Air Command. Roy received two DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) awards while flying missions in Vietnam in the F4-E (Phantom II). Roy retired from the USAF in 1974.
After retirement Roy once again pursued his college education. He completed his undergraduate and obtained his MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, Calif.
Roy was curious about many things and this led him to be an avid reader. He could speak on a wide range of topics (history, politics, biographical, finance) with a certain expertise. Many of us can recall a memory of having a conversation with Roy when suddenly he would leap to his feet and disappear for a few minutes. He would then reappear with at least one book about the topic you were discussing and say, “Here, take this book with you. It’s got a lot of information about this.”
Roy is survived by five children, Timothy Edmund Stockes (Phyllis) in Arizona, Felecia Anne Serra (Michael) in California, Melissa Leigh Kauk (Mark) in Iowa, Amanda Belle Wienbar (Doug) in Arizona and James Christian Stockes in Montana. He is also is survived by eleven grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.
A chapel and graveside service will be held Tuesday September 10, at 1 p.m. at Fifth Creek Presbyterian Church, 1547 Mocksville Highway, Statesville, N.C. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to any veteran affiliated organization of your choice.
Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home is serving the family.