What is Gerard Stokes?
'''Gerard James Stokes''' (1955 – December 2020) was a New Zealand [[rugby league]] footballer. He played in the 1970s and 1980s, and [[Coach (sport)|coach]]ed in the 1980s through to the 2010s. He represented [[New Zealand national rugby league team|New Zealand]]. He was a coach of the [[Serbia national rugby league team|Serbian]] national side. He was the father of England international cricketer [[Ben Stokes]]. In August 2020 Stokes revealed that he had been diagnosed with [[brain cancer]] in January 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=England cricket star Ben Stokes arrives in New Zealand to be with seriously ill dad Ged |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/england-cricket-star-ben-stokes-arrives-in-new-zealand-to-be-with-seriously-ill-dad-ged/OTFGD3WUC7NOJIJSYRO76AENII/ |access-date=8 December 2020 |work=NZ Herald |date=28 August 2020 |archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023085321/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/england-cricket-star-ben-stokes-arrives-in-new-zealand-to-be-with-seriously-ill-dad-ged/OTFGD3WUC7NOJIJSYRO76AENII/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Stokes' death was announced on 8 December 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Darbyshire |first1=Drew |title=Former Whitehaven and Workington coach Ged Stokes passes away |url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/former-whitehaven-and-workington-coach-ged-stokes-passes-away/ |access-date=8 December 2020 |work=Love Rugby League |date=8 December 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208183820/https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/former-whitehaven-and-workington-coach-ged-stokes-passes-away/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Gerard}} [[Category:1955 births]] [[Category:2020 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths from brain cancer]] [[Category:New Zealand rugby league players]] {{sports-bio-stub}}