By Bob DeLoyd 07/22/2006 Our little Community is sad to hear of the passing of Rufus Stokes. October 2005 was the last time I saw Rufus Stokes, he was visiting his friends in our area after selling his home that July and moving to Missouri with his wife where he did a lot of fishing. Rufus loved to fish. Raymond Smith told me a story where he took Rufus over to Parker Arizona to fish for catfish and Rufus caught a 20 pounder. He was so proud of that dang fish he took it to a Parker Newspaper to have it published. Well the guy at the paper laughed and told Rufus that 20 pounds ain’t that big around here. Not to be put down Rufus told the news guy that it may not be the biggest caught here but it was the biggest he’d ever caught and had Raymond drive him to one of our local newspapers to have it published. Among his many friends one of them is my neighbor Bob Stonebraker who had know Rufus for over 30 years. I sit listening to the two of them swap stories of olden times working at the Marine Base and some implausible yarns I don’t know whether to believe or they’re just putting me on. Rufus was a big strong man and a kind and friendly man, his body may have worn out but his spirit never did.