Timothy Charles Stoklosa

Local Artist Timothy Charles Anderson Stoklosa, 33
PORTLAND
-
Timothy Charles Anderson Stoklosa slipped peacefully through the veil into divinity at Maine Medical Center from aspiration pneumonia May 12, 2017. Surrounded by loving family and friends, Tim fought a relentless 33-year battle with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) with grit, grace and determination. He was a fighter extraordinaire and advocate for adults with disabilities who touched many lives with his deep twinkling eyes and infectious smile.
Born in Portland, Tim spent the first 18 years of his life in Ocean Park and was a beloved member of the community. He enjoyed the freedom of the roads, often speeding along in his wheelchair greeting everyone in his path. His was deeply loved and cared for by his late grandmother, Clare M. Anderson, during these years.
Tim graduated from Thornton Academy in 2003 where he developed into a gifted artist winning several awards. During his senior year, he created a pastiche of an Albrecht Durer painting that required him, due to his limited arm strength, to hand draw 60 small squares of pencil sketches pasted together to create the whole. The project took him nine months. As his illness progressed and he lost the ability to draw with his hands, he transitioned to computer-assisted art using only a tiny motion of his right hand to create exquisite works of color and form.
At age 21 Tim moved to the Barron Center nursing home due to the loss of his homecare services. He was awarded the Muscular Dystrophy Association Distinction Award for his efforts to change the laws in the State of Maine which had previously excluded young adults with disabilities from housing and direct support services. He worked with Senator Barry Hobbins to introduce a bill to fund independent housing and received statewide news coverage with Governor Baldacci after the success of his bill to fund a group home in Scarborough.
Sadly, the 16 months spent in the nursing home had taken its toll and Tim was hospitalized for two months in respiratory failure. His advocacy was not finished. He fought the traditional use of an invasive breathing tube (tracheostomy) with the support of Dr. David Seder to become the first young man at Maine Medical Center to use non-invasive ventilation (NIV). He became a pioneer in the use of NIV in Maine, where it is now the protocol treatment for young men with DMD.
Tim attended the University of Southern Maine as an art major and was only a few classes shy of his Bachelor of Arts degree. Through the mentorship of his art professor Michael Shaughnessy, Tim grew as an artist and was hired by The VIA Agency as an Art Director in 2015. His final project was an illustrated series of seven indigenous Maine fish for the Friends of the Presumpscot River.
Tim co-authored a biography of his life with his caregiver Costa Ndayisabye, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. The book, "Overcoming Fear: Challenging Our Greatest Disability," illuminates the boundless gift of caring for others and the fearless acceptance of our limitations.
Tim leaves behind his mother Karen L Anderson, father Timothy F. Stoklosa; half-sister Hanna Gleason; stepfather Roy B. Cohn and stepmother Mary-Beth Stoklosa; his extraordinary care team led by Constance Johnson, Dawn Marie Munson, Jack McKenzie, Jane Garza, Charity Meserve, Tiffany Crockett, Cliff Gallant, all of his selfless caregivers over the years; and his beloved Maine Coon cat Teddie. Special thanks to Tim's dear friend Mark Mueller Architect, Jim Gadbout and the Saco Rotary Club for help with Tim's adaptive home in Ocean Park.
Tim was a member of the Eastpoint Christian Church in South Portland and Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco.
Visitation will be held at Cote Funeral Home in Saco on Friday May 19 from 6-9 p.m.; the Funeral Mass will be on Saturday May 20 at 11 a.m. at Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco followed by burial at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Saco. To view Tim's memorial page or leave an online condolence, please visit www.cotefuneralhome.com

Donations may be made to:
Stand By Me Homecare LLC
PO Box 7303
Ocean Park, Maine 04063
for an education fund to train artist/healthcare professionals.