Obituary of Reverend Doctor Rodney Stokoe

STOKOE- The Reverend Doctor Rodney James Robert Stokoe passed away peacefully at Bobier Villa in Dutton on Sunday, April 6, 2014. Rodney is survived by his loving wife (Reverend Canon) Brenda Clark of St. Thomas; by his children Michael (Adele) Stokoe of Nova Scotia and their children Vicki Stokoe (Jim Giesinger), Jeff (Denise) Stokoe, Rawn Stokoe (Jeff Lynch); Gordon Stokoe (Jane Butler) of Ottawa and their children Joe and Willy; and Peter (Mitra) of Ottawa; and by his brother Eric (Noreen) Stokoe of England and their family. Predeceased by his brothers Kenneth and Austin Stokoe and his first wife Peggy (nee Strang). Rodney was born and grew up in County Durham, England, the eldest of four sons. Rodney’s studies for the ministry were interrupted by WW2. He entered nursing training and then served on a medical ship in the British Navy. After the war he continued his studies in theology and was ordained in Durham Cathedral. During that time he and Peggy married and began their family. After serving in parishes in Hartlepool, Edinburgh and Sunderland, Rodney and his family moved to Halifax where he became the professor of Pastoral Theology at the University of King’s College and later at Atlantic School of Theology. A distinctive mark of Rodney’s vocation was his part in the establishment of Clinical Pastoral Education and of the Institute of Pastoral Training in the Atlantic Region. Rodney retired in 1985 and received on Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Atlantic School of Theology. Upon his marriage to Brenda he moved to St. Thomas. A life-changing stroke meant his moving to Bobier Villa in Dutton in 2011. Rodney’s body has been accepted at the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Western Ontario for medical research. Arrangements have been entrusted to Shawn Jackson Funeral Home 31 Elgin Street, St. Thomas (519-631-0570). A memorial service will be held at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Truro, Nova Scotia on Friday, May 16, 2014 at 2:00 pm. If desired, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario, or the Parish of Tyrconnell would be appreciated. Memorial Service Friday, May 16, 2014 at 2:00 pm. St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church Memorial donations are being accepted in memory of Reverend Doctor Rodney Stokoe for :Heart and Stroke Foundation of ON St. Thomas-Elgin Chapter Parish of Tyrconnell Service Information