William Francis Stokes, age 103 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Country Arch Care Center, Pittstown, NJ.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, November 15, 1918, son of the late Michael Francis and Mae Stokes, Bill lived for many years on Broadway in Bethpage, NY, moving to Raritan Township, NJ in 1985 to be closer to his daughters and grandson.

Resourceful and clever, Bill will be forever remembered as a giving and compassionate soul who rose to meet and exceed any challenge placed in his path during more than a century of life.

Growing up in the depression-era was an experience for all who went through it, Bill not being an exception. These times molded him to be extra responsible with his finances, appreciate the opportunity to work, and to get creative in ways of solving problems on his own. The subsequent war years instilled in him a true sense of patriotism that never faded from his overall persona.

Having serious asthma as a child, at one point receiving the final anointing by the Roman Catholic Church via the sacrament of the sick (Last Rites), Bill still never let that stop him from trying his hand at whatever he wanted. His love of America was so strong that even with his asthma, he tried to join the armed services during World War II; he made it past the medical screening with his asthma, but was stopped because of a positive tuberculosis test.

Being unable to join the military upset him greatly, but Bill decided that he would figure out a way to serve his country. After the military refused to admit him, he went right to Mitchel Field and applied for a job with Grumman. From 1936 until 1994, Bethpage was home to the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which made, among other things, the F-14 Tomcat, the Navy version of the F-111 Aardvark and the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) for moon landings. Bill figured he could at least assist with the war effort and help all his friends who were serving overseas.

At Grumman, Bill’s ingenuity stood out to his superiors and he was assigned to work on the engineering and development of the LEM module, of which he was most proud. His career with Grumman would last many years and he would also find work at Lauman, a well drilling company in Bethpage that employed many of the town’s residents, as well as own and operate Cross Country Motor Service on Route 107, also in Bethpage. At all of his places of employment, Bill was always known for his strong work ethic along with his uncanny ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently.

Bill was considered a sort of ‘wild child’ in his youth and it was a chance meeting with Ms. Annette Stadnick while out with a group of friends, that would change his life for the better. Among this group of women, Annette at that moment was the ‘quiet one’ and Bill gravitated to her immediately. The two would fall for each other and he would credit her for balancing him out and showing him true happiness. The couple enjoyed many years of happiness until her passing in 1992.

Annette and Bill would have two daughters, Joan and Patricia. His ‘girls’ were the light of his life and he was so happy when Patricia brought a young man named Jack Leechan home one day to meet her family. Jack would be the son Bill never had and was a faithful caregiver to him for many years, even after Patricia and Joan had both passed away. The family would grow over time, with Bill’s grandson, Daniel, joining the family and being the primary reason the couple would leave their New York roots to move across the river to New Jersey. Daniel would make Bill a great grandfather three times, with Allison, Angela and Joshua bringing a smile to Bill’s face just at the mere mention of their names.

Having many hobbies, Bill was a proud member of the Central Park Historical Society and the Northrup Grumman Retiree Club. He enjoyed boxing, old cars from the 1920’s and 30’s, spending time at the Showboat, Taj Mahal and Resorts Casinos in Atlantic City, reading the Wall Street Journal from cover to cover daily, setting his watch by when Jeopardy was on, and silencing a room to watch 60 Minutes each week.

Bill lived by the motto of staying active and he made sure that he walked daily, jumped rope often, and even changed his engine oil well into his late 90’s. His outlook on life and determination to live each day to the fullest will not be forgotten by all who were fortunate to be loved by this caring and energetic soul.

In addition to his parents and daughters, Bill, the oldest of six children, was preceded in death by all of his siblings, Catherine, Francis, Jimmy, Joey, and Dorothy.

Surviving are his son-in-law, John “Jack” Leechan; his grandson and his wife, Daniel and Katharine Leechan; his great grandchildren, Allison, Angela and Joshua Leechan; and several nieces, nephews and extended family members.

Bill will lie in repose on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

Life celebration services will take place beginning at 7:30 p.m. and to which all are welcome. If you are unable to attend but would like something read on your behalf, please click HERE to submit your words remembering Bill.

Graveside services will take place on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. in Greenfield Cemetery, 650 Nassau Road, Uniondale, NY 11533. Everyone is kindly requested to meet at the cemetery office at 10:45 a.m.

You are encouraged to visit Bill’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

Memorial contributions in Bill’s honor may be made to the Central Park Historical Society, c/o Bethpage Library, 47 Powell Ave, Bethpage, NY 11714. To learn a bit more about Bethpage history, please visit the Central park Historical Society website by clicking HERE.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”