Stephen Robert Stamps
1964 – 2022
As the afternoon winter sun shone across Oklahoma on Tuesday, January 18th, Stephen Robert Stamps gave his family a thumbs up, imploring them to feel “no sad . . . only happy” and went to be with his precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stephen was born on December 22, 1964, in Springdale, Arkansas, to Joe and Johnny Stamps. He brought joy into their home and to his four siblings. He was active: running track at Ramay Junior High. He brought energy: introducing the family to the music of KC and the Sunshine Band. He was a member and president of the Vocational and Industrial Clubs of America while attending Fayetteville High School. His eye for a technical vocation led him to attend college at Oklahoma State University Tech in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. One day in the fall of 1983, while at the Baptist Student Union at OSU Tech, Stephen met Cora Rust. She had asked him for a ride to a Petra concert in Tulsa, but he had refused to grant her request. Rather than ending the relationship then, she gave him a second chance. After all, he was sharp with math, and she needed help with her math homework. A year later, on September 15, 1984, Stephen and Cora became husband and wife. They were two broke college kids with no money. Rumor has it that Stephen married her in order that he might receive in-state tuition. After the young couple graduated, they moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, for Stephen to take a job as a CAD draftsman at Autoquip in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Stephen stayed with Autoquip for his entire 37-year career. In later years, he transitioned to work with production and supervision within the organization. His tenacious desire, constant dedication, and kind smile were all well-regarded and respected by his coworkers and supervisors. Just as Stephen never left Autoquip, he and Cora never left Edmond. The two raised two boys: Taylor and Trenton. The family homeschooled the boys, leaving Stephen to serve as “principal.” On some days, Stephen would become the math teacher to help the boys with their math assignments—He was still quite keen with math homework. But don’t let the analytical draftsman-turned-supervisor make you think that Stephen lacked an adventurous spirit. As a young man and a young parent, Stephen was known to ride his bike around the neighborhood with his siblings, to the ice cream shop with his wife, and, later, through the mountains with his sons. Speaking of mountains, Stephen frequently joked that he would purchase a log cabin in the mountains and retire there. Although he never retired there, Stephen found opportunities to travel there to hike, go fly fishing, and even take ski lessons. While the verdict is still out regarding skiing, he enjoyed fly fishing in the rivers of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Colorado. To maintain his adventurous lifestyle, Stephen took up running. He finished several 10k’s and even a half-marathon, but his family thinks that he took up running for no other reason than to update his Fitbit stats. In recent years, Stephen took up playing pickleball with friends from church, a community that turned into so much more than the sport. Finally, Stephen’s faith in Jesus led him to a life of service to God and to others. “Mr. Steve,” as he was affectionately known, served as AWANA Commander for well over a decade. His kindness and gentleness were on display as he invited students, parents, and volunteers to embrace Scripture memorization and study through AWANA. With many communities of faith, Stephen served as a greeter, deacon, on committees, and on youth groups trips. His faith in Jesus wasn’t a passive experience. Rather, it was a call to an active life of service to the local church. Stephen is survived by his wife, Cora of Edmond, Oklahoma, who will always be his Princess; his son Taylor and daughter-in-law Haley of Denver, Colorado, who will miss Stephen’s adventurous spirit and love of the mountains; his son Trenton, daughter-in-law Kaitlynn, and grandson Riggins Bennett of Newalla, Oklahoma, who will miss Stephen’s love of fishing and his eagerness to show up as Grandad. He is also survived by his parents, Joe and Johnny Stamps of Fayetteville, Arkansas; his siblings, Paige Mahoney of Springdale, Arkansas; Merritt Weeks of Bryan, Texas; Stan Stamps of Springdale, Arkansas; and Marty Stamps of Roanoke, Virginia; and an abundance of loving and caring uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews who will miss his love and joy.
Visitation will be held from 12:00–6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 23, 2022, at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, Oklahoma. Family will be present from 4:00–6:00 p.m.
A celebration of Stephen’s life will be held on Monday, January 24, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. The celebration will also be streamed online at [insert]. A graveside service will follow at Arcadia IOOF Cemetery, located 1.25 miles north of Hwy. 66 on Westminster Road.
We will be live streaming this service in an effort to accommodate those people that wish to attend but feel they should not due to health regulations. To watch the service live please click the link below.
https://subsplash.com/faithbibleok/media/mi/+cfcywhs
In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests that you consider donating to Faithworks of the Inner City, OKC: www.faithworksokc.com