Martha Stokes Panella, born Martha Blanche Stokes and called Muffie all her life, was born and raised in Lake County, with a family that extends back generations on both her mother’s and father’s side.

Muffie was the daughter to Russell and Janice Stokes, sister to Sheryl, Syd, Laura and Pete Stokes. Muffie knew and appreciated hard work from her early years, spending time working in the office of her parents’ company, Stokes Ladders, and selling pears in the family’s farm stand to earn money for college. As she continued to grow, so did her love for her family and community.

Muffie graduated from  California State University, Chico, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Nutrition. Muffie returned to Kelseyville, diving straight into her career and starting a family in her hometown. She continued working at both Carpenters and Carpenters and Stokes Ladders, she worked for a period for CPAs Leon Turner and Dan Panella, and in more recent years she worked at Clearlake Redi-Mix and had a number of private clients. The center of Muffie’s world was—and always remained—her children. She married Dan Panella in 1982, and together they had three children: Russell, Greg, and Caitlin.

 

Muffie was the kind of mom who sewed individually designed sleeping bags for her children, baked them birthday cakes in unique shapes, taught them to raise chickens and gather eggs, and showed them in every way that they were loved.

 

In 1997, Muffie moved her family from Finley to a property on Bottle Rock Road, where she built a new home with a swimming pool and large shop. Her home and shop became the gathering area for her three children’s friends and their projects. Muffie always had a smile and an open door, a generous heart, and a full refrigerator for hungry teens and twenty-somethings. In recent years, she treasured her time with her young grandchildren.
 

Throughout her life, Muffie remained part of a tight knit group of friends from grade school in Kelseyville, hosting summer reunions at her home. Everyone—family, friends, and colleagues—found her to be exceptionally generous, willing to lend a hand and put others’ problems before her own. She brought a high level of efficiency, reliability, and organizational skill to any task she took on, whether it was organizing the vendors at the annual Kelseyville Pear Festival or preparing payrolls for businesses.

Our family thanks you, from the bottom of our hearts, for allowing us the  chance to keep her memory alive.