OBITUARY: Calvin Otis Stephens

Published 1:57 pm Thursday, May 1, 2025

Calvin Otis Stephens, 70, a resident of Luverne, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 27th, 2025, at UAB Medical Center, while surrounded by his family. Funeral services for Calvin will be held at 11 AM on Friday, May 2nd, at Union Baptist Church with Rev. Mason Halacker and Brother Clay Crum officiating. Interment will follow in County Line Cemetery with Rev. Ervin C. Russell officiating and Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the church on Friday from 9 to 11 AM. 

Calvin owned and operated Stephens Concrete Plants in South Alabama and was always a true blessing in his community for the employment opportunities he afforded to people in the area. Given Calvin’s easygoing and forgiving nature, you really couldn’t have asked for someone better to work for. He never failed to offer grace in the face of mistakes and always told them to just “do better next time.” There were few things Calvin didn’t know how to do, from driving a concrete truck to managing large construction projects for the United States military. He personally built his family homes and there was nowhere he’d rather be on any given day, despite traveling all over the country with his “partner in crime,” his wife Michelle. 

Together, he and Michelle not only owned and operated their concrete plants, but also built Stephens Construction Company into a top contractor for the military and local governments around the Southeast. They had a true partnership in every sense of the word. Not only did they live and travel together, but also went to work together every single day. That’s a rare kind of love to want to spend that much time together. They even enjoyed the same hobbies, especially fishing. Whether it was at a nearby river or out in the gulf, they were always thrilled to decompress away from the stress and high pressure environment of work as they could shut out world and just enjoy their time together. 

At home, Calvin loved cooking for his family and friends, and enjoyed hosting big gatherings of all the people he loved the most. Not only did he smoke his own meats and pop all kinds of seafood on the grill, but he also made some of the best gumbo you could find outside of the bayou! Calvin also loved the time he was able to spend with his cherished church family at Union Baptist in worshipping their Lord. Above all, he was a devoted husband, father, and “Papa” to the grandchildren who were the apple of his eye and held a special hold on his heart from the moment they were born. Calvin will always be remembered for his kind and compassion for others, as well as his good humor and dapper style of dressing. Words just cannot capture the outsized presence Calvin had not only in his family but also in his church and community. He meant the world to all those who knew and loved him so dearly and he will be missed beyond measure.  

Calvin was preceded in death by his parents, Grady & Elzora Faulk Stephens, and brother, Kenneth Stephens. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Michelle Stephens; children, Chris Stephens, Brett (Jessica) Stephens, Camden (Justin) Reeves, and Summer (Hunter) Weeks; grandchildren, Luke Reeves, Huck Reeves, Ivy Mae Reeves, Priscilla Weeks, and Ellison Reeves; brother, Keith (Amy) Stephens; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends. 

Active pallbearers will be Danny Stephens, Arch Stephens, Bo Stephens, Greg Jones, Jimmy Henderson, and Randy White. Honorary pallbearers will be Dwight Faulk and James Rogers.