April Calloway Stephens

To know her is to love her. April Calloway Stephens of Stuttgart, Arkansas, born April 2, 1978, left for her heavenly home on December 18, 2022. She bravely fought against GIST cancer for 22 years.

April attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where she was a member of Chi Omega Sorority. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science as well as a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition. She then obtained a Master of Science in Nutrition from the University of Central Arkansas. She was a member of First Baptist Church Stuttgart.

In 2000, she married her high school sweetheart, Heath Stephens, and settled in Stuttgart a few years later, where they made their forever home. They have one beautiful daughter, Mary Catherine. She is survived by them and her parents, Dr. Stefan and Cathy Calloway of Stuttgart, as well as her in-laws, John and Cathey Stephens, brother and sister-in-law, Angie and John Stephens, nephew and niece, Reese and Riley, all of Stuttgart, and Uncle Jeff Calloway (Susie) of Holly Grove and Aunt Cathy C. Johnson (Terry) of Norfork and numerous cousins.

April’s faith in God was always her guide. In 2021, April was interviewed by GIST journal The Life Raft Group and said, “This 20-year journey has shown me that God’s timing and plans are always perfect even if I don’t understand them at the time….I have to keep a positive outlook on things and I can’t let myself get down about my GIST diagnosis.” Throughout her difficult health journey, April remained the eternal optimist, even lifting her loved ones up when they were feeling helpless. She had a true servant’s heart and was always quietly being a blessing to those she knew in such genuine and loving ways. April would not want her loved ones to mourn her for long; she hated being the center of attention. If we could all give and love selflessly, half as much as she did, the world would certainly be a better place.

The family is grateful to Dr. Bradford and his nurse Rachael Murphy at Highlands Oncology in Northwest Arkansas and Dr. George and Dr. Raut at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for their continued support and excellent care over the years. They also would like to thank Nurse Annie Hatch for her compassion and care over the last several months as well as to Dr. Morgan for his years as her caring primary doctor. A special thanks to April’s cousin, Melissa and husband Todd Simmons for their generous help in Angel Flight transportation for her cancer treatments and to her college besties for their continued support through her 22 year of cancer journey and especially for Dr. Candice Clark Dye for her unselfish care and friendship during this battle.

Psalm 23: 1- 3, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Personal Pep Rally or Life Raft Group.

Funeral services, officiated by Pastor Grant Medford, are 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church with burial following in Lone Tree Cemetery by Turpin Funeral Home of Stuttgart.