James Herbert Stovall, Sr

“If I walk in the pathway of duty, If I work till the close of the day, I shall see the great King in His beauty When I’ve gone the last mile of the way. When I’ve gone the last mile of the way I will rest at the close of the day, And I know there are joys that await me When I’ve gone the last mile of the way.” Johnson Oatman Jr. God’s Beautiful Beacon of Light, BROTHER JAMES HERBERT STOVALL SR., remains a joyful, uplifting force in our hearts and memories as we celebrate his triumphant honorable life, but miss his positive presence since he took his rest on September 2, 2024 at the still vibrant age of 98 years young. Even through a short term sudden battling with the impact of a contracted virus, his Warrior Spirit of strength, fortitude and determination to gratefully glorify God and encourage others never ceased, as his Light and Peace through it all provided a powerful testimony of Faith and never ceased to amaze his providers. But fervent tenacity and conquering in Christ was a reflection of the whole Life of Child of God James Herbert Stovall Sr. At the tender age of 9, he nearly drowned while creek jumping with childhood friends. As he was miraculously resuscitated by one of the boys, he often shared that this life changing experience of hearing God’s voice telling him to “Wake up, go forward in gratitude, obedience, wisdom and love”. He shared the fearful trauma of that incident and the kindness of those kids made him determined to live a dedicated life of pleasing Good, being Good, helping others and yes, learning how to swim. Which he did, and quite impressively up until 98, where in Christ, he had also mastered “walking on life’s raging waters”. This young warrior was one of 14 siblings. Born in Oxford City, Granville County, North Carolina. His loving parents Pastor John James Stovall, Helen Royster and stepmother Carrie Stovall-Smith instilled in their kids to love and care for each other as families should, regardless of last name. They fondly include George, Ceasar, Talifare, Magellan, Oscar, Omegar, Vinston, Druid, Harvey, Zula Mae, Mary Jane, Gracie and Mildred. In his youth, the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where Pastor John James Stovall founded the St. Hazel Baptist Church on Preston Street in Baltimore, and James, still seeking God’s righteousness, served as a Deacon, Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent for ten years and Pastor for ten more. Love of God, His word, helping others, righteous living and caring for family had been etched in his soul and James was an upright, hard-working young man on fire for Christ, building up The Body, enlightening the community, gaining deeper understanding of pursuing the Kingdom of God as it applies to Daily Living and improving conditions. Leading with Love and Integrity he labored to teach that being successful was not just about how well you lived, but how well you surrendered to the Will of God in Living Holy Lives. These are the principles that dictated the family life of husband, father and friend as married his lovely College Sweetheart of 39 years, Ella Mae Pinnick (1995) as they were a mighty force for excellence and reared two children – son, the wonderfully uplifting and talented James Herbert Stovall Jr. (2010) and daughter Donna Stovall-Jeffress who he’s always labeled a care provider and natural nurturer who like him is always seeking and studying to make things right, righteously. Servant Stovall finished his course still striving to initiate the Divine, in Praise, Trust and Faith and as he’d say, “Taking One Day at a time”. Always dear to his heart was the privilege to feed the flock of God through preaching, teaching and heeding the need and his desire to make disciples and foster the cohesive bond of love. He was a dearly loved and valued member of the First Colored People’s Baptist Church in Baltimore for 10 years. He served in many of its ministries including Assistant Minister, after his ordination in 1987 under the pastorage of Reverend Doctor Leroy Fitts. He always felt blessed to be able to serve the Body of Christ in every capacity that encouraged growth, transformation and deepening connections with other congregations and the training alliance that enrich deeper insight, skills and opportunities to help and to heal. Some of the church family feeding functions that brought him great joy was Sunday School Supervisor, Bible Study Teacher, Evangelism Committee, New Members Class teacher, the Boosters Club and the Deacon Board. Expanding his community reach efforts he accepted the opportunity to serve the flock of God at Full Gospel Baptist Church in Cooksville, Maryland where he embraced The Body and ushered in many fortifying enhancements and unifying Love based efforts for 20 years. Some successful projects that transpired while he pastored there included Youth Fellowship, weekly Bible Study, monthly fellowship with other congregations, organization of the Christian ministry and quarterly educational meetings, awards recognition program for graduates, acquiring a transportation van and the installation of a handicapped access ramp. Since that faith building shake up as that fearless, determined child, throughout his life he continued to try to represent the Preached word and cultivate spiritual fruitage in the home and the workplace, where he remained admired for his refreshing kindness, morality and that infectious smile. In conjunction with his Pastoring, these are some of his jobs, accomplishments, memberships and schools: • Chief Senior Analyst, Office of Comptroller, Fort Meade, MD – 10 years • Supervisor Fiscal Management, Department of Labor and Bureau of Statistics, Washington, DC – 35 years • WWII Veteran, U.S. Army, Administrative Director/Battalion Mess Sergeant – 1942-1944 • Private Tax Consultant – individuals, churches, businesses • Entrepreneurial Owner and Manager, Stovall’s Groceries, Baltimore, MD • Book Author “Church Renewal Then and Now” • Writer and Publisher “Christian Education Handbook” • Partnership in school establishment and curriculum development of a school in North Africa for the underprivileged • Partnership in Building Bridges of Access for Broadband Installation in underserved communities • Conducted multiple Christian Education and Training workshops and seminars throughout Maryland • As an avid Traveler, Reader, Theocratic Student, Facilitator, Counselor and humble leader, he seized the opportunity to preach in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Beatitudes on the Mount, and also was thrilled by Baptizing new believers in the River of Jordan. Some of his memberships included: • National Baptist Convention • Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, Baptist Ministers Conference • Pastors Ministers Conference • Governor’s Board of Associated Civic Democratic Council • M. J. Naylor Chapter of Morgan State Alumni Association • NAACP – Religious Affairs, Maryland State Conference His schools included: • Dunbar High School – Baltimore, MD • Douglass High School – Baltimore, MD • Cortez Peters Business School – Baltimore, MD • Morgan State College (B.S., Business Administration) - Baltimore, MD • Morgan State College (M.B.A., Master of Business Administration) – Baltimore, MD • Howard University (M.Div., Master of Divinity) – Washington, DC • Theological Seminary Certification – Lancaster, PA • George Washington University – Continued Studies • American University – Continued Studies • Johns Hopkins University - Continued Studies James “Uncle Herbert” Stovall Sr. is survived by his daughter, Donna Stovall-Jeffress; son-in-law, Michael Jeffress, two granddaughters, Micaela Jeffress and Donanique Tuck; a few local nieces, Christine Green, Pat Patterson, Virgie Manley, Lonia Jones and Wanda Jay (DC); first cousins, James Betts of Oxford, NC, Mildred Carter and Dorothy Winborn of New Jersey; and a host of grand-nieces, grand-nephews, cousins and deeply cherished friends

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James Herbert Stovall, Sr

May 15, 1926 - September 2, 2024