Giles "Chad" Stephens, Jr.

Giles Leslie “Chad” Stephens, Jr., age 72, passed away unexpectedly at his home on May 18, 2026. He was born on March 10, 1954, in Louisville, KY to Dr. Giles L. Stephens, Sr. and Nellie Frances Yeast Stephens. He is predeceased by both his parents and three brothers, David Stephens, Craig Stephens, and Timothy Stephens. He is also predeceased by a close friend, Angela T. Preis.

Giles was a graduate of Stanford High School (class of 1972) and a graduate of Murray State University with a Fine Arts degree. He lived for several years in Atlanta before returning to Louisville, where he worked for the Kentucky Opera, Fabulous Finds Consignments, and managed the Brennan House in downtown Louisville.

Giles was a well-known fixture in the Cherokee Triangle, where he lived for several decades. He put his artistic talents to use designing traffic-stopping Halloween displays in his front yard and sketching on napkins at both Heine Brothers on Longest and at Douglass Loop. He was constantly walking in the neighborhood and would always have time to chat with passersby or to pat a dog or cat. He knew all the neighbors on his block, as well as their children and their children’s friends. He was keenly interested in others and would go out of his way to be helpful and kind.

A voracious reader, Giles was a regular patron of the public library and recently took advantage of their computers to learn about the Internet and email. In the last few weeks, he even checked out Facebook! He was passionate about both Kentucky history and genealogy; both his maternal and paternal lines can be traced to the Revolutionary War. Giles turned his artistic eye to his garden, redesigning the space every year.

Giles will be missed by his cousins, John M. Brock, Mark Brock (Debbie), Christopher Holtzclaw (Charlotte), and Melinda Mullins (Nick), and their children, and a host of extended family, friends, and neighbors.

A Celebration of Giles’s Life will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Kentucky, 40218. Giles will be laid to rest at a later date in Resthaven Memorial Park.