Ada Lou Stokes

Ada Lou Stokes was born on July 12, 1930, in Anniston, Alabama, to Dallas and Nannie Dutton. She peacefully passed away on February 19, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 95.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at North Shelby Baptist Church, 4100 Belcher Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35242 (off Highway 280). Visitation will take place from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., followed by the service at 11:00 a.m.

A graveside service will follow at 3:00 p.m. at Crestwood Memorial Cemetery.
Ada Lou grew up in Anniston and was the third of four sisters. She attended First Baptist Church of Anniston, where she met William Howard Stokes. They fell in love and were married on June 12, 1955. In her early married years, Ada Lou worked as a teller at a local bank. She loved being a homemaker for Howard and their two girls, Cindy and Karen. Her life reflected a love for her Lord, His Church, and her family.

Ada Lou was an active member of her local church wherever she lived-whether in Anniston, Talladega, Gadsden, or Birmingham. She was a faithful member of Meadow Brook Baptist Church in Gadsden, where she served by teaching children and participating in the Women's Missionary Union. Ada Lou loved helping with and leading Backyard Bible Clubs for many years. She also had a heart for those in local nursing homes.

In 2014, she moved to Birmingham to be closer to family and joined North Shelby Baptist Church. She found great community through this congregation.

Ada Lou loved playing games and being with people. We all knew her favorite game was dominoes, and she found people to play with her no matter where she lived. However, her greatest earthly love was her family. She could never get enough time with her girls, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She shared her love for others by intentionally sending handwritten notes. If you knew Ada Lou, you probably received a note or two over the years.

In every season of her life, her faith remained strong. Even in her very last days, she was a light for her Savior. Psalm 116:2 says, "Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live."

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, William Howard Stokes, and her three sisters, Helen Heptinstall, Betty Cater, and Audrey Gray.

Ada Lou is survived by her daughters, Cindy Stokes Bailey (Andy) and Karen Stokes Blackburn (Vance); her grandchildren, Jennifer Mitchell (Butch), Wade Bailey, Kyle Bailey, Caroline Wallace (Jim), Will Blackburn (Sarah), and Ben Blackburn (Eden); and her great-grandchildren, Bailey Dassow, Ashley Dassow, Rylan Bailey, Reese Bailey, Luke Wallace, Mary Reynolds Wallace, Ada Wallace, Hyde Blackburn, Callum Blackburn, and Rhodes Blackburn.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board at www.imb.org.

Pallbearers will be Wade Bailey, Kyle Bailey, Will Blackburn, Ben Blackburn, Jim Wallace, and Butch Mitchell.