Man whose body was found in Mass. river remembered for his ‘remarkable resilience'
Samuel Stovall, 51, who Taunton police knew to be homeless, was pulled from the Mill River on April 25, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office said previously. People walking by the water behind 43 Chandler Ave. noticed his body around 3:40 p.m. and contacted authorities.
Investigators soon noticed that Stovall's body had 'obvious signs of decomposition,' the district attorney's office said. His death is not believed to be suspicious.
Samuel C. Stovall was born in Holyoke on Jan. 31, 1974, to Eugenia and Leroy Stovall, according to his obituary. He was raised in Springfield with his siblings.
The Stovall children were brought up in Holy Ghost Temple Church — which was located in Springfield at the time — where their father served as pastor, according to his obituary. Stovall was also skilled in mixed martial arts, which he began studying as a teenager to learn self-defense.
'Despite life's obstacles and difficult choices, Sam showed remarkable resilience in overcoming adversity, and his spirit never gave up. If he believed he could do it, no one could convince him otherwise,' his obituary reads.
'Such was the case when Sam rededicated his life back to Christ. With childlike faith, he pressed his way to church, read the Word more diligently and attended bible study with the community group at Christ Community Church. Yet the closer he drew to God, the harder the obstacles became.'
Stovall leaves behind his wife of eight years, his father, five brothers, four children two grandchildren and many other beloved friends and relatives, according to his obituary. Family 'meant everything' to him, it says.
'People are complex, and nobody is perfect. We are all imperfect in varying degrees. All we can do is seek God's forgiveness, for none but Jesus is perfect,' his obituary reads.
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