By By Lisa Tindell
news editor
Roy Stokes Sr. will be remembered as a mentor and friend of young lawyers, colleagues said Friday, a day after Stokes died after a long illness.
John Jernigan, who was a partner with Stokes for many years, remembered the senior attorney as a mentor.
Jernigan said Stokes was a guiding force in his early years as an attorney.
Being a mentor became a common practice for Stokes, local attorney Mike Godwin said.
Godwin said Stokes was willing to show his love for people and his profession.
Jernigan said Stokes had the respect of area attorneys as well as other members of the judicial system.
Stokes, 77, was a 1950 graduate of T. R. Miller High School. Following his graduation he attended the University of Alabama on a baseball scholarship and Troy State on a football scholarship.
Stokes graduated from Troy State in 1954 and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1957.  Upon his graduation from law school, Stokes returned to Brewton and opened a law practice in the community.
He maintained the law firm until his retirement in 2001.
During his time in the legal profession, Stokes served as Judge of the Inferior Court of Escambia County from 1958 until 1964. 
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Brewton where he served as a Sunday school teacher, member of the board of trustees, and chairman of the administrative board and finance committee.
Stokes’ son, William Roy, Jr., continues to practice law in Brewton while his son, David, serves as chairman of the Escambia County Commission and is with Brewton Insurance and Real Estate.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Bobbie McIntyre Stokes of Brewton; two sons and daughters-in-law, Roy Jr. and Catherine Stokes, David and Deborah Stokes; a daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Albert Haas; three sisters, Doris Keese, Carolyn Jennings, and Mary Catherine Baker; and seven grandchildren.
For more information, see Stokes’ obituary on page 3A.