On February 13, 2019, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Wade Stover passed away after a two-year battle with cancer attributed to his military service.
Stover was born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Prairie City, Iowa. He had an idyllic childhood in a small town in the Midwest of America. He was raised by his hardworking parents, Harry and Janet, alongside his younger brother, Vince. Throughout his childhood, Stover could be found riding bikes, playing baseball, and working at a sporting goods store. He and his wife, Kimberly, were high school sweethearts.
Stover always wanted to fly. He was very disciplined and focused on his dream in the humblest of ways. He was born to be a Marine. Having joined in high school, Stover left for basic training the day after his graduation ceremony. He later accepted his commission upon his graduation from Iowa State University. He loved the camaraderie of the Marine Corps dedication. Stover’s ultimate goals were to fly and definitely achieved that, as he flew CH46s upon completion of flight school in Florida and later transitioned to C130s in 2004. Throughout his career, he was selected as CO of VMGR 152 and had the honor of moving the squadron from Okinawa, Japan, to Iwakuni, Japan in 2014. During his time in Afghanistan for one year, Stover was unfortunately exposed to burn pits for extended periods of time, which resulted in a cancer diagnosis in 2017. He passed away two years later.
Currently, Kimberly loves to spend time with her children and visit family. In the future, she is most excited to watch her boys grow up and achieve their goals. She states that their father would be immensely proud of them and the men they are becoming. Kimberly is eternally grateful to Tunnel to Towers for making it possible for her to stay at home and support her youngest son. She would like others to know that her husband was an incredible person with an infectious and keen intellect. He was looking forward to family time and retiring from the Marine Corps. He fought incredibly hard to beat his diagnosis and to stay with his family. Kimberly states how unimaginable it is that someone so full of life and personality no longer resides on this Earth. He worked very hard to provide his family with a good life and amazing experiences. The Stover family is so grateful to have had him as part of their lives.
United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Wade Stover is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and his children.