John Michael Stephens
March 16, 1963 – December 5, 2020
Memorial services for John Michael Stephens, 57, of Pensacola, FL, are at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 12, 2020, at Pine Hill Baptist Church, Cairo, GA. Rev. Charles Parker will officiate.
John Michael Stephens was called home to the Lord following a brief illness on December 5, 2020, in the presence of his family. Born March 16, 1963 in Tallahassee, to Donald and Betty Stephens, he graduated from Leon High School, Tallahassee Community College, and the University of West Florida. Michael married Cindy Massey Stephens, the love of his life, on March 9, 1991 in Pensacola. On May 7, 1995, Michael and Cindy welcomed their daughter Caitlin into the world.
He was a dedicated and loving husband and father. He took pride in taking care of Cindy and Caitlin. He enjoyed being active in his daughter Caitlin’s life by attending her soccer games, swim meets, dance practices, recitals, and band performances. He was a dedicated volunteer whenever he was needed. He was proud of all her accomplishments.
Michael was a faithful Christian and attended the First United Methodist Church of Pensacola. By profession an accountant, he was a loyal and dedicated employee. An active member of the Rotary Club of Pensacola-Cordova, Michael was honored with the Paul Harris Fellowship in June 2017. He served on the Board of Directors for Pensacola Sports.
After marrying Cindy, a Southern Mississippi alumna, Michael became an avid Southern Miss fan. He loved attending football games and, especially, the tailgating before each game. Many of his strongest friendships were formed around a shared love of Southern Miss. Once UWF added a football team, Michael enjoyed attending Argo games. Along with spending time with family and friends, Michael enjoyed watching any and every sporting event, cooking, golfing, and fishing. Always welcoming and friendly to everyone, he could never meet a stranger. No matter the situation, he always had a way of making people laugh and smile. For family, friends, and acquaintances who knew him, Michael was truly a humorous, kind, giving, caring, loving, uplifting and loyal person.
He was preceded in death by his father, Don Stephens of Tallahassee, FL and father-in-law, Ed Massey of Pensacola. Left to cherish his memory are: his wife, Cindy; daughter Caitlin Stephens of Hattiesburg, MS; his mother, Betty Stephens; and his brother, Mark Stephens; and his sister, Melanie Garrison (Steve) and Jackie Sessions, all of Tallahassee; mother-in-law, Jane Massey of Pensacola; brother-in-law, Jim Massey (Gail) of Gulf Breeze; sister-in-law, Marci Doerfler (Ted) of Milton; brother-in-law, Bill Massey (Cyndi) of Pensacola Beach; nephews, Lucas Massey, Tyler Massey (Ciara), Cody Stephens (Kelsie), Chandler Massey; nieces, Nicole Riles (Chad), Kelly Stephens, Kristen Hunter (Dylan), McKayla Massey, Kendall Massey, Ansley Garrison, Emily Garrison; great-nephews, Bryson Stephens, Pierson Massey; great-nieces, Kylie Riles, Bailey Riles, Ruby Stephens, Sienna Massey; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to The USM Athletics Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 15458, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39404. Please note that the gift is made to the Michael Stephens Memorial Scholarship in the memo line of your check.
