Are The Kids Okay?: Life Lessons From a Great Man by D. Leon Stokes [Book]

Are the Kids Okay? describes the life of John Early Stokes. John Stokes wasn't a rich man, he wasn't a famous personality. In fact, by most measures, he was an ordinary guy. But to those who's life he touched, he was so much more. John Stokes was a loving husband, a caring father, a devoted child of God, at his core a very good man, whose humanity and humility endeared him to all who knew him. Born in the deep south during the Jim Crow era of the 1920s, he refused to allow the restrictions of his environment deter him from making the most of what he had, constantly improving himself, and being a positive influence to all who knew him.

John Stokes' impact on his children, especially Leon, his youngest son, is a story for the ages. Teaching the importance of loving and honoring God, hard work, respect for your fellow man, and "doing the right things for the right reasons," John's example inspired them to keep God at the center of their lives, continually pursue their dreams, and strive to do things in a manner that would inspire others and honor God. At the center of it all, they hoped their actions, even more than their achievements, would make their father proud.

Are the Kids Okay? examines the life lessons passed on from an exceptional man to a grateful son. In writing the book, the author pays tribute to a man who was exactly the type of father needed to guide him through life into adulthood, and highlights life lessons that are certainly needed today,

D. Leon Stokes was born December 16, 1959 in Lansing Michigan. He was the youngest of five children born to John and Clara Stokes. Throughout his formative years, Leon was an active and inquisitive young man, a bit mischievous, but never one to get into any real trouble. He was a good athlete, playing football and basketball (he was a member of the 1977 Michigan Boys Class A State Champion Everett High School Basketball Team), but a better student. He eventually earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University) and Applied Statistics from Oakland University. In addition to sports, Leon’s interests growing up included reading and music, leading to the study of piano and later in life, the bass guitar. Throughout his life, Leon was heavily influenced by his parents, especially his father. Their unconditional love, and the exemplary example set by his father led him to accept Christ at a young age, to continually strive to be the kind of man he saw in his father, and to endeavor to live a righteous life that would make his parents proud. A former executive for General Motors, Leon now resides in Michigan with his wife, Yvette, retiring in 2020 after 41 years.