Donald Stover

Donald M. Stover was born on July 20, 1942, in Sacramento to Donald and Agnes Stover. He spent his early childhood in Eureka and Ukiah, California, where he attended primary and secondary schools. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he earned a degree in economics.

In 1964, he went into Peace Corps training at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, at which time his back quickly failed, landing him in the hospital for a week before being sent home to Ukiah where it took him several months to recover.

Don later returned to Santa Barbara, this time as an employee, working in their Drama Department only to be called in for his Pre-Induction Draft Physical in April of 1965, right in the middle of President Johnson’s escalation of the Vietnam War. Without having to fudge his test results, he was given the same draft classification as Cassius Clay, 1-Y; quite possibly the high point of his life until then.

Free from any immediate fear of being called to serve, Don took the Alaska Highway to Fairbanks and Anchorage with his college roommate in a VW bus that he had converted into a poor man’s camper in his spare time. Without a job or money, however, Don had to return home.

Shortly thereafter, Don was hired by Franchise Tax Board in Sacramento as a research analyst where met his wife-to-be, Robin. They had two sons, Jason (Victoria), who resides in Spain, and Adam (Becca), who lives in Sacramento. Don loved watching his boys play soccer before they went on to play baseball. He even tried his hand at coaching several different little league teams.

After several years with Franchise Tax Board, Don left to pursue a degree in architecture at the University of California at Davis. While he didn’t complete the architecture program, he used his knowledge to help inform his work as an independent real estate broker, a career he held for many years. He had a wealth of general knowledge that he willingly shared with all who knew him.

After separating from his wife and living in and around Sacramento and Yuba City, Don moved back in with his aging mother in 2010 to keep her company and to take care of the things that she had trouble doing for herself. In the beginning, that meant taking her to the beauty shop, but it later turned out that they shared a passion for the San Francisco Giants, hardly ever missing a game on TV.

In 2016, a year after his mother passed away, Don journeyed overseas to Spain to visit Jason, Victoria, and their two children, Ignacio and Gabriel. From there he took a sightseeing trip to other parts of Spain and even to Portugal. While on his tour, he met several other travelers and he sent regular updates to friends and family back home.

This is when, however, Don’s chronic back condition came back to haunt him. Even though he had had back issues for 50 years, the sciatic pain brought on by being out and about led him to seek treatment once home in Sacramento. When all of the conservative options failed to bring him the relief he needed, he opted for surgery which, in the end, proved to be more than he could handle.

During the last few years, Don envisioned a move to the California coast at Gualala, where he had purchased property and planned to build his future home. This is where he saw himself, not in a hospital bed.

Don loved simple things and trivia, just ask anyone, and when not watching the Giants on TV, his favorite shows were The Sunday Morning Show, All News, Big Bang Theory, This Old House (finding practical solutions to “old house” problems), Two and a Half Men (the original episodes, the ones with Charlie Sheen), Wheeler Dealers (watching Edd China work his magic with older cars that deserved a second chance), and Chasing Classic Cars (another show that brought back nostalgic moments).

He loved music and playing his old 5-string banjos.

He also enjoyed taking drives on roads less traveled, just to see where they would lead, often stopping at mom-and-pop cafes for breakfast and conversation. He had seen a great deal of northern California and had so much more he wanted to see and do. When he would drive, he would stop at old cemeteries to examine the headstones and the dates inscribed on them. On these same trips he used to pull over to the side of the road to take in the beautiful views and maybe snap a few pictures. Of his travels he always said, “Half the fun is getting there, wherever that may be.”

In addition to his children, grandchildren and wife, though separated for nearly 30 years, Don is also survived by his sister, Chris (David) of Reno, NV.

Don died on April 8, 2017, due to complications from back surgery. No services are planned at this time. Sometime in the future we would like to have a get-together with family and friends to celebrate his life and so that they can share their stories of Don. He will be deeply missed.