Thursday, March 28, 2024

Obituary of Randall M. Stover, 97

Name of Deceased Randall M. Stover
Age 97
Date of Death 08/21/2017
Date of Birth
Funeral Home Steven R. Neff Funeral Home

Randall M. Stover, 97, long time resident of Aaronsburg, passed away on Monday, August 21 at the Newark Manor Nursing Home in Newark, Delaware. Born on October 20, 1919 on the family farm outside of Woodward, he was the son of the late Paul M. and Lodie (Motz) Stover. He was a 1937 graduate of East Penns Valley High School. On April 8, 1950, he married the love of his life, Gladys P. Shawver with whom he shared the next 53 years. Randall helped his parents operate the family farm until they retired in 1947. He then worked at a local garage and farm supply business, later for Bethlehem Steel, and finished his working career as a master electrician and plumber for Hosterman and Stover Hardware in Millheim. He was a long time member of the congregation of St Peters United Church of Christ in Aaronsburg and also the Patriotic Order Sons of America Camp in Woodward.

Randall gave freely of his time and talents. He was a long time member of the Aaronsburg Water Company board and was personally involved in many of the repairs to the water system in Aaronsburg. He was involved with the summer festivals in Aaronsburg and Woodward for decades and the apple butter making booth at the Haines Township Fall Festival where he was known to provide “communion” to the workers at the booth on Sunday mornings. He also served as a volunteer fireman with the Millheim Fire Company.

He was known regionally for his water dowsing abilities and chose well sites for several hundred homeowners over a fifty year span and for the quality of the furniture he constructed, ranging from dry sinks, bucket sinks, dresser drawers, exotic lamps, to tall clocks.

In his eighties, Randall took it upon himself to restore the long neglected Hennig-Neidig Cemetery located outside of Woodward. He cleared the brush and reseeded the land, reset the tombstones, and surveyed and mapped out the entire cemetery. Memorial Day is now celebrated there yearly in honor of the Revolutionary soldiers who are interred within its grounds. He also completed extensive historical research on the family genealogy of the Stover’s, Hosterman’s, Vonada’s, Musser’s, and Hennig’s

Outside of his family, his greatest love in life was hiking and hunting in his beloved family woodland and the surrounding mountains. It was in these woods he found his true peace. To Randall nothing was grander than to sit on his favorite tree stand on Shriner Mountain before day break and watch the sun rise over Round Top, stalking the great monster buck of Buffalo Flat, or calling in a bearded tom turkey. He collected many bearded tom turkeys and antlered deer over a hunting career that spanned 80 years.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his wife and brother’s Lowell, Paul Francis, and twin brother Russell. He is survived by his son David and daughter-in-law Cheryl Potocki of Wilmington, Delaware, his sister Easter Haugh of Jersey Shore, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service presided over by Reverend Dawn Meier will be held at 11am at the Steven Neff Funereal Home in Millheim, PA on Saturday, September 2. Burial in the Salem Lutheran Cemetery in Aaronsburg will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Woodward Cemetery Association to be utilized for the upkeep of the Hennig-Neidig Cemetery. Donations should be mailed to Tom Huey, PO Box 134, Woodward, PA 16882. Please include Randall’s name on any donations.

The family would also like to thank the nurses and support staff at Newark Manor and Heartland Hospice for all their kindness and care of Randall over the last 6 months of his life.