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Delores Stokes was a great inspiration to many in Guthrie. She was a mentor to volunteers, a dedicated servant to community causes and to her church, a loving wife and mother, and a dear friend to those who were blessed with knowing her. Her life was celebrated at the First United Presbyterian Church on Thursday, December 15th, and she will be greatly missed.
It is no exaggeration to say that Delores was greatly responsible for much of Guthrie’s growth and many of our long-term festivities. Without her hard work getting volunteers for events, festivals, and community activities, many of Guthrie’s successful tourism activities and institutions would not exist today.
She was born in Guthrie in 1933, and Dr. Ransom F. Ringrose delivered her at home. She grew up in Guthrie, went to business school in Oklahoma City, and worked for GMAC. During that time, she met her husband, Delbert Stokes, and they decided to move back to Guthrie in 1961 after their son, Dennis, was born.
Delores got her real estate license when her son was old enough for junior high. This led to her joining the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce and to her start as a community volunteer. Working with other Chamber volunteers, she helped guide tourists and helped to decorate Guthrie for holidays. She is said to be the person who started the tradition of the street corner decorations for Fall with the hay bales, pumpkins, and scarecrows.
During her years with the Chamber, she started being the “go-to” person to get volunteers for anything needing to be done in Guthrie. She just seemed to have a way of convincing even the most stubborn homebodies that they should come out and help. From the Christmas homes tours to the wine festival, Delores Stokes was on the ground recruiting volunteers and working alongside them.
Guthrie’s Jazz Banjo Festival depended upon her as the volunteer chairman, and Byron Berline’s Oklahoma’s International Bluegrass Festival counted on her managing hundreds of volunteers as their volunteer coordinator for 25 years.
“If you ever volunteered for her, your service was her joy,” said Stacey Frazier, current volunteer coordinator of the Oklahoma’s International Bluegrass Festival and countless other Guthrie events, such as the Territorial Christmas Celebration and the Christmas Tour of Homes. “If you ever volunteered for me, your service is her legacy.”
The Victorian Christmas celebration and the lighted Christmas parade are her legacies. Mayor Jon Gumerson proclaimed a “Delores Stokes Day” in commemoration of her community dedication in the year she was awarded the Guthrie Chamber of Com- merce Volunteer of the Year.
A long-time, dedicated member of the First United Presbyterian Church, Delores was on the Board of Elders, served as clerk, and helped with Vacation Bible School and women’s ministries. She was also one of the original volunteers who started the Mobile Meals program in Guthrie involving the coordinated work of multiple churches and denominations. A member of the Horticulture Garden Club and the Home Demonstration Club, Delores continued to volunteer for years after her retirement. After her husband, Delbert, passed away in 2003, she went to live with her son Dennis Stokes in Edmond, but she always considered Guthrie her hometown.
Guthrie will never forget her or her tireless dedication to this community.