Marlys Jean Stover

Marlys J. Stover, age 79 died of complications from Parkinson's. Marlys Stover is survived by her husband Kenneth of 48 years. She is preceded in death by her mother, Alice Barris and her father Joseph Barris who were her adoptive parents.

Marlys was born on April 9, 1944 in Scranton, PA. The family moved to Elmira, NY. Marlys graduated from Nazareth College in 1966. Her teaching career began in Bath, NY in 1967. Following the death of her father, Marlys and her mother moved to Florida. Marlys taught at Sacred Heart in Lake Worth from 1970 to 1981. From 1981 to 1985 she taught at Nativity in Hollywood, FL. Marlys continued her teaching career at St. Jude in Boca Raton, Fl from 1985 until retiring in 2018.

In 1992, Marlys was named NCEA teacher of the year for Region 4 and honored at a ceremony in St. Louis, MO. In 2003, Marlys was presented with the Deaver Foundation Award, which was awarded for her excellence in education. In 2005 Marlys was honored by RBC Centura Bank as a Tribute to Teachers. Marlys was among 20 teachers who each received a gift of $500.00 for the purchase of materials for the classroom. These honors are reinforced by the reflection of one of Marlys' former students who was fortunate enough to have been her student both in second and third grade. The student says of Marlys, "Whether or not she wins this award, Mrs. Stover will have my respect, my love, and my thanks for the rest of my life."

Given the fact that Marlys was highly recognized and honored for her efforts as a teacher it is important to understand what impact she had on her students. One of Marlys' former principals, Laura Campbell, made note of what made Marlys such an outstanding teacher. Campbell stated, "All of our teachers are dedicated, but what makes Marlys Stover stand out is that she does that little bit extra to help include parents as part of education and that is so vital today. The reason she is different from most teachers is that she is child-centered. She really looks at the whole child and tries to accommodate the needs of every child."

Beyond the classroom Marlys had her own "hobbies" or "diversions". On weekends Marlys enjoyed making fresh baked goods. These included fresh baked bread. One of her most notable achievements is the fact that she created her own bread recipe that involved sauteing red and green peppers and onions. She added these ingredients to the dough as part of this recipe. Her husband encouraged her to send the recipe to Pillsbury for consideration of the 1990 Bake=0ff. As it so happened, Marlys was notified that she would join 99 other participants in Phoenix, AZ.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.babionesouthflorida.com for the Stover family.