Winston-Salem, NC – William Finley Stokes III, 58, of Winston-Salem, NC passed away peacefully Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at his home surrounded by his loving family.  Bill was born March 11, 1963 in Charlotte, NC at Presbyterian Hospital to William Finley Stokes, Jr. and Grace Galloway Stokes.  He was a 1981 graduate of Hendersonville High School and a 1985 graduate of the University of Tennessee where he graduated with honors in Communication.

Bill began his career after graduation at WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC where he won an Emmy award in 1988.  In 1991, he went to work at Wachovia, later Wells Fargo as a Branch Manager.  He quickly worked his way up the corporate ladder and in 2009 he was made Trust Team Manager, Vice-President.  In March 2018 he was promoted to Senior Vice-President, Wealth Management Fiduciary Segment Manager.

A true volunteer, Bill shared his time at the Boys and Girls Club of America, coaching youth basketball leagues, alumni Class of 2017 Leadership Winston-Salem, and a Board Member of the Forsyth Humane Society. He was also the Wells Fargo Volunteer Regional Chapter President since 2012. 

Bill had a real passion for collecting.  His home is filled with art, music, and many books.  There are amazing collections of UT sports memorabilia, UNC basketball, and his favorite athlete Michael Jordan.  But his biggest passion was comic books.  His collection of over 11,000 Spiderman comics and other Spiderman items was his pride and joy.  He spent many years at shows with his good friends as he sought out more books for his collection.  He always had a big smile on his face as he would tell the stories behind all the items in his home.

Bill was preceded in death by his father William Finley Stokes, Jr. and his beautiful dog Sissy.  Bill is survived by his mother, Grace Galloway Stokes of Winston-Salem, his sister Susan Stokes Kain of Hendersonville, his niece Addison Lea Kain and his nephew Connor Stokes Kain both of Hendersonville, uncles Joseph Powell Stokes of Chicago, IL and John Russell Stokes of Hendersonville, and Aunt Gayle Galloway Beasley of Bethune, SC as well as an extended family of cousins, loyal friends, and associates that he deeply loved. 

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, July 17th at 11:00 am at the Forsyth Human Society located on 4881 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104 with Terry Boyd officiating.

Gifts in memory of Bill may be made to the newly established William F. Stokes, III Endowed Fund for Lymphoma Research by making a check out to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and mailing to P.O. Box 571021, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1021.  Please include a note or memo that your gift is in loving memory of William Stokes. In lieu of flowers, please support the Forsyth Humane Society, address provided above.