Erma Marie Stover, 88, of Charlotte Hall, MD, formerly of Cumberland, MD, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2020.
Born on February 19, 1931 in Colcord, West Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Howard Stover and the late Maudie Jarrell Stover. Erma was the 6th of 14 children (8 girls and 6 boys).
Growing up, she and her siblings worked the family farm when they weren’t in school. When her brothers left for the war, she and her sisters had the primary job of working the farm without them, including plowing the fields with the manual mule driven plow. She often reminisced about growing up the way she did, as “life being hard, but good.” Watching her brothers and male schoolmates go off to war sparked a desire in her to join the military too from a young age. Although it was not an ordinary path for a young country girl to pursue, Erma knew there was a bigger world out there and she was determined to experience it! After graduating high school, she moved to work in Charleston and began to put her plans into action to enlist in the Navy. In 1951, she finally was old enough and received the permission of her parents to realize her dream. She was proud of this decision her entire life, and only realized later what a trailblazer she was in doing this at that time. She was proud to serve her country from 1951 to 1953. Erma’s military dreams brought her to the DC area where she lived and worked, married and began to have her family (Rita, Brenda, Donna and Gary), and moved to the Maryland suburbs in the early 60’s.
Erma was a devoted mother and consummate homemaker. It was important for her to make every home she lived in beautiful and she was quite exceptional at doing that. Later in life she worked as a bookkeeper in the automotive and banking fields. She loved gardening and music and keeping her home beautiful – always ready to receive visits from friends, neighbors and especially her family.
Erma is survived by 3 children, Brenda Wolfe (Ted), Donna Hendricks-Nowak (David) and Gary Tugwell; 12 grandchildren, Michael Strickland (Jacque), Karen Beal (John), Laura Galvin (Jimmy), Heather Ridgway (Kevin), Adam Nowak (Melissa), Jenna Nowak (John), Kara Abrams (Sam), Sara Milli (Louis), Katie Bambacht, Shelby Tugwell, Sydney Tugwell, and Sawyer Tugwell and her 21 great grandchildren, April Webb, Alex Strickland, Alyssa Hitt, John Paul Beal, Shaye Beal, Alek Beal, Matthew Klein, Matthew Nicholson, Noah Galvin, Milo Harris, Savannah Ridgway, Mila Barfour, Ayden Barfour, Wesley Abrams, Maya Abrams, Gracie Milli, Louis Milli, Evie Bambacht, Audrey Nowak, Clark Nowak and Gideon Nowak. Also surviving Erma are her siblings, Claude Stover, Glora Skaggs, Phyllis Fish and Loulou Stover Brock.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, Tassie/Coon, Debra/Sarge, Helen, Jean, Jimmy, Fred, Jack, Ray and Bernice; her daughter, Rita Strickland (Wally) and her granddaughter, Andrea Wolfe.
There will be a Chapel Service and inurnment with military honors on Monday January 27, 2020 at 1pm at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, 11301 Crain Highway, Cheltenham, MD 20623 with Deacon William Kyte officiating. A Wake will follow at a private residence in Huntingtown, MD. Address and directions will be given at the chapel.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to be made to the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home & Crematory, P.A., Charlotte Hall, MD.
