Stewart Lynn "Smokey" Stover Sr.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00 pm on Monday, December 30, 2024, in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice for Stewart Lynn “Smokey” Stover Sr., 86. Reverend Paul Bienvenu, Pastor of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, will be Celebrant of the Mass and will conduct the funeral services. Reverend Steve LeBlanc will co-celebrate the Mass. Burial will take place in St. Alphonsus Mausoleum. On December 22, Stewart Lynn “Smokey” Stover Sr., passed away peacefully in the arms of his wife of 65 years, Johnette Bradley Stover. His family will never be able to replace the power of his presence, but are comforted by the memory of his final smile, the endless love he bestowed upon them, and the life lesson he taught – that the greatest gifts are the ones that take the most perseverance to achieve. Smokey was born on August 24, 1938, in McPherson, Kansas, to Leroy Lorenz Stover, petroleum drilling engineer, and Juanita Opal Stover, professional artist, professions which moved them to Oilton and then Seminole, Oklahoma. Moving schools regularly, Smokey became adept at making friends and developed a clever sense of humor and mischief. He found a community in high school football at Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore, Oklahoma, where he not only developed skills on the athletic fields but also credited the school for his love of literature and problem-solving skills. He put those skills to the test after graduating from Murray State Junior College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and Northeast Louisiana State College (now ULM) in Monroe, Louisiana, with a B.S. in Geology and a successful college career as an MVP linebacker. In 1960, after previously being told by Division 1 colleges that he was too small to even play college football, he accepted a tryout to the Dallas Texans under brutally hot conditions in Roswell, New Mexico. Determined to prove that the Division 1 coaches were wrong, and to overcome losing weight during the tryouts, he secured 10-lb weights under each arm for the final weigh in, and made the team, despite Coach Hank Stram’s disbelief that this “sack of bones” could weigh 218 pounds. Smokey laughed with unabandoned joy every time he told this story and described Coach Stram’s reaction when he finally revealed the mystery behind his exponential weight gain. This stands as one of Smokey’s most clever and mischievous feats of problem-solving. It is also the clearest illustration of his unwavering belief in following one’s heart and passion, regardless of obstacles, boundaries, and nay-sayers. In 1963, the Dallas Texans transitioned into the Kansas City Chiefs. Smokey became a starting linebacker and special teams player, and played for them for six years. He helped to drive the Chiefs to their appearance in the 1967 AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which we now know as Super Bowl 1. Smokey retired from American football after the Super Bowl, but transitioned to the Canadian Football League, where he’d always wanted to play because of their different rules. A linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Smokey was selected Player of the Week the second week of the season. The Tiger-Cats won the Grey Cup in December 1967, a mere 11 months after the first Super Bowl, making Smokey the only NFL player to play in both preeminent football events in the same calendar year. Always thinking about supporting his family, Smokey strategically planned for a career after football, and earned his M.Sc. in Geology during the offseason when he played for the Chiefs. Upon his retirement from American and Canadian football, he moved his family to Lafayette, Louisiana, where he discovered yet another career where he “woke up every morning looking forward to going to work.” He also quickly discovered how much he loved the local joie de vivre in Lafayette – the food, the music, and especially the dancing. After starting with The Superior Oil Company, Smokey formed Stover Oil and Gas, LLC, and co-founded Teton Exploration. He combined his love of the industry and his desire to support his community by being an active member of the Acadian Log Library and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and a board member of both the Petroleum Club and Geological Society. His faith was always a steadying and driving force in his life. He was the first Eucharistic minister at Holy Cross Church in Lafayette, and was also a catechism teacher and, with his wife, Johnette, a marriage counselor in the Catholic Church. His service expanded to coaching youth football and youth girls’ soccer. He was the worst singer ever to grace a church choir, but was a natural coach and teacher, from athletic sports to fishing and hunting. He spent countless hours on the football field and in the duck blinds with his sons, and on the tennis courts with his daughters. A voracious reader, he inspired a love of books in all four of his children and in many others who crossed his path. Because of his nurturing and gentle nature, every hunting dog, horse, house cat, ferret, raccoon, and flying squirrel the family had over the years naturally gravitated toward him. Smokey wasn’t scared of anything, except apparently a flying squirrel landing on his head in the middle of the night. Smokey is preceded in death by his parents, LeRoy and Opal Stover, and his brother, Dean Stover. He is survived by his college sweetheart wife, Johnette Bradley Stover, his four children – Stewart “Smokey” Stover Jr. (Connie); Brad Stover (Melanie); Staci Boudreaux (Neal); Cheree’ Stover (Ken); his grandchildren – Stewart “Stu” Stover III (Taylor); Brittany Cadona (Daniel); Hunter Stover (Sydney); Nicholas Stover; Claudia Stover; Sawyer Stover; Shaiann Stover-Winter; Zac Stover-Winter; and his great-grandchildren – Stewart Stover IV; Millicent Stover; Mary Catherine Stover; Charlotte Cadona; Lachlan Cadona; and Robert James Stover. Smokey’s legacy will carry on forever, through his children, grand-children and great-grandchildren, as they all work to emulate his work ethic, his “never give up” mentality, and his kind and gentle nature. We will not forget the life lesson he taught us – that the best things in life take effort, but this effort is what brings the biggest reward. God bless and long live the memory of jersey #35. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice on Monday, December 30, 2024, from 11:00 am until time of service. A Rosary will be prayed at 12:30 pm on Monday in the church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to a charity of your choice. Pallbearers will be Stewart Stover, III, Hunter Stover, Nicholas Stover, Sawyer Stover, Daniel Cadona, Roger Bohanan, Locke Harris and Kimmie Breaux. Honorary Pallbearers will be Taft Webster, Johnny Robinson, Walt Corey, Bob Tatum, John Couvillion, Jan Savage Warner, Harold Breaux, Nicholas Herlevic, Jimbo Herlevic, Jim Burt, Patrick Bradley, Paul Bradley and Suzie Phan. Personal condolences may be sent to the Stover family at: www.delhommefuneralhome.com. Stewart Lynn Stover Sr. and his family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA. Copyright Delhomme Funeral Homes, Inc. December 2024.

Stewart Lynn "Smokey" Stover Sr.

August 24, 1938 - December 22, 2024