Harry Truman Stokes

DATELINE: GREENVILLE

Funeral services for Harry Truman Stokes, 76, of Greenville will be at 11:00 am, Friday, May 13, 2022 at Emmanuel Baptist Church. He died Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Delta Health-The Medical Center. Burial will be in County Line Cemetery in Glen Allan under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Greenville.

There will be a visitation from 5:00-8:00 pm on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at the Lighthouse Mission Church next to Greenville Christian School. At 6:30 a Celebration of Life reception will begin. Everyone is welcome.

On October 8th in 1945, in a humble house in Grace, Mississippi, Sisson S. and Maedell Ford’s youngest child of seven was born. With thirteen years separating the newest Stokes from his eldest brother, Charles, Doc Finley needn’t give much advice to this already brooding family of nine. Although, the Doc may have given pause, or at least commented on, the naming of the newest little boy, Harry Truman.

He was most likely not the only little boy named after the president of the free world at that time. However, he was most assuredly, marked by God to be a leader.

President Truman’s calls for courage, “imagination and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand”, made a lasting impression, but perhaps only the resounding echoes of such ever touched the ears of young Truman Stokes. After all feeding hogs and chickens on the farm didn’t take much imagination. Still, he might have had to conjure up some determination to milk the cows, mend the fences, cut the grass, or hoe cotton all the while attending school in Rolling Fork.

When asked what his favorite chore was, Truman replied he “didn’t like any of them.” What he did enjoy though was math. He soon learned how to put his love of math and acquired skills into one. At the age of around 10 or 11, Truman would chop cotton for his neighbors for $3.00 a day. His workday ended at six in the evening and started back up at six the next morning.

Truman felt early on that he wanted to become a pharmacist, so in the 9th grade, he started working in a drug store as a soda jerk.

Then Truman, at the age of 17, attended a revival at the Sharen Chapel Assembly of God down in Hampton. There, God supernaturally redeemed Truman and altered the drive of his course.

It was two or three years later that God would orchestrate the meeting of Truman and the future love of his life, Amelia. They shared common interests, although their taste in movies and shows varied slightly with Truman liking comedies and westerns such as the Guns of Will Sonnet—“No brag, just fact” to counter Amelia’s preference to romances. After all there was “usually one kiss at the end, then it’s over. Living happily ever after, you hope.”

These slight differences, among others, only served to compliment one another and on January 28th, 1968 they married.

During their courtship, Truman had been attending Mississippi Delta Community College. There he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was written in the yearbook that “Truman Stokes was a comparatively silent figure on campus, but his countenance portrayed depth of thought, sincerity of purpose, and humility of character.” While at MDCC, Truman played the saxophone for the marching and stage band, served in various leadership roles such as legislator to the Student Council, the Student Rules Committee, was elected as Most Intellectual Boy, and was also asked to join Phi Thea Kappa. After graduating from MDCC, Truman went on to the University of Mississippi pharmacy school.

His years in Oxford culminated with him having a great love of anything Ole Miss sports. He enjoyed playing golf and bowling and Ole Miss intermural sports. In 1967 he, as the catcher, helped lead his team to win the Men’s Intermural Softball Championship.

Upon his graduation from pharmacy school, Truman and Amelia moved from Oxford to Hollandale, where she taught school and he worked as a pharmacist at the local drug store. From there the couple moved to Marks and in 1973 they welcomed their first-born child, two months prematurely, into their family, Robert Truman.

It was during this time that Truman’s eyesight began to fail. Nevertheless, he spent many days driving from Marks to Clarksdale to look through the glass at his newborn son under neonatal care. His love for Robert never wavered and his son was a sure source of joy used by God to start their little family.

About a year later, Truman, 29, would be deemed legally blind.

Over the course of the next several years, Truman and Amelia opened their home to many in Jesus’ name and then in 1981 they welcomed into their family their daughter, Amanda Jo, who immediately stole Truman’s heart. God fulfilled part of His plan for Truman, as Amanda was undoubtedly a daddy’s girl.

God put to good use the leadership skills and the silent, but strong demeanor, He had entrusted to Truman as he served as an ordained deacon in his church, taught Sunday School, and chaired on various committees within the church. He also supported several ministries throughout the community, such as serving on the Greenville Christian School Board, where he continued to serve throughout his entire life. No matter what position God allowed him to hold, Truman was dedicated to serving others with the love of Jesus.

After losing his vision, Truman along with one of his sisters, started A&A Home Health Equipment. And then in 2013, he started A&A Pharmacy along with his son, Robert, and loyal friends and staff.
As a businessman, Truman found great joy in providing for A&A staff as well as the needs of his customers. He lived and conducted business by treating others the way God would want them to be treated.

Truman was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Charles, Dale, and Howard; sisters, Sylvia Hill and Shirley Doeker.

He is survived by his wife, Amelia Roberts Stokes; son, Robert Stokes (Jill) of Greenville; daughter, Amanda Stokes of Greenville; brother Eugene Stokes (Carol) of Little Rock, AR; 8 grandchildren, Lawson Stokes, Samantha Stokes, Lottie Ann Stokes, Garrett Wilkerson, Joseph Truman Stokes, Abigail Stokes, Alexander Truman Stokes and Victor Truett Stokes and a host of nieces and nephews.

Donations can be made in memory of Truman to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Forgotten Children Ministries.