JANUARY 4, 1930 – MARCH 4, 2022
Frank Stovall was born on January 4, 1930, in Clinton, Mississippi. He contracted polio in his first year of life. Knowing he would probably have a physical handicap, his parents hired a piano teacher to teach him a lesson every week in their home. Little did anyone know that he would become a life-long teacher and performer, first as a pianist, then as a singer.
Frank became a Christian at age eight, and from this point on his commitment to honor Christ motivated him to achieve his highest goals. When his voice changed it was clear he was lyric tenor, always in demand. He sang opera and oratorio, his specialty being the great classic art songs of Shubert, Debussy, and Scarlatti. He was never more at home than when singing sacred songs in church. He taught voice and related subjects at Bluefield College (WV), Mississippi College (Clinton), and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Frank’s formal education was as follows: Bachelor of Music from Mississippi College, Master in Arts in Music Education from the University of Alabama, and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Texas (Austin), in vocal performance.
Frank is preceded in death by his parents Francis D. Stovall II and Jennie Sue Lazarus Stovall, and sisters Alma Jane Stovall and Jennie Sue Stovall Bobbitt, brother William Ratcliff Stovall and his granddaughter Shannon Michelle Stovall. He is survived by his son Francis D. Stovall IV and daughter Dolores Gallegos-Stovall; son, Charles William Stovall and wife, Elizabeth Mary Stovall, and their son Colin Matthew Stovall and wife, Jenna Ulbricht Stovall.
