Obituary of Charlotte Stokes

Charlotte C. Stokes

Artist, 93

Charlotte Calwell Stokes, 93, artist, of Cathedral Village, a retirement community in Roxborough, died on March 18 after a short illness. Mrs. Stokes was the daughter of Eleanor P. Calwell and Charles S. Calwell who was a prominent civic leader and president of the former Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Co. in Philadelphia.

Mrs. Stokes was educated at Germantown Friends School and Connecticut College. She had lifelong interests in art, gardening and children''s literature. Her paintings have been exhibited locally and her sculptures are in the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Building, the Montana Historical Society museum, on the grounds of Cathedral Village, and in private collections. She illustrated the book, Handguide to the Coral Reef Fishes of the Caribbean (written by her husband F. J. Stokes, Jr.) in collaboration with the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. She was also a longtime guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mrs. Stokes assembled a collection of hand fans, which was donated, to the national Hand Fan Museum in Healdsburg, California. She chaired the 1988 Philadelphia convention of the Fan Association of North America and was active in this group.

Mrs. Stokes was a member of the former Germanton Garden Club and exhibited frequently at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Her Mt. Airy garden was on the tours of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and others. She was active in the restoration of the Maxwell Mansion in Germantown and has served as President. She wrote the book, Documentation of the Victorian Gardens at the Ebenezer Maxwell Garden. Mrs. Stokes collected children''s literature and, in 2000, wrote and illustrated the book How to Build Fairy Houses.

Mrs. Stokes had lived in Mt. Airy before moving to Cathedral Village 17 years ago. She is survived by three children, Francis J. Stokes, III, Katherine Stokes-Shafer, Donald W. Stokes, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Her son, Charles C. Stokes, is deceased, survived by his wife Rosemary.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Employee Fund, Cathedral Village, 600 E. Cathedral Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19128