Capt. Christopher Stover, an Air Force pilot from Vancouver who died a month ago in a helicopter crash, will be honored Sunday in a hometown service.
The memorial will be at 2 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 17010 N.E. Ninth St., in east Vancouver.
Stover and three other airmen died during a Jan. 7 training flight along the English coast.
There have been two previous services for the 28-year-old Air Force officer, and the family has learned a little more about him at each stop.
The first event was a Jan. 17 memorial service at the crew’s air base in England, Lakenhurst RAF. It included a chance to share some memories about the four airmen, and Rick and Maribel Stover heard a story about their son.
“Many days, he would bring in coffee for the security officers at the base who checked him in at the gate,” Rick Stover said. “He’d tell them, ‘Thanks for doing what you’re doing.'”
The 2008 Air Force Academy graduate was buried on Jan. 27 at the academy cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colo.
During that visit, the Stovers were told how their son was there to help when other cadets were struggling.
“Chris was very good in math and science. He was done with the calculus sequence his junior year in high school, then went to Clark College and maxed it out there,” Rick Stover said. “He enjoyed sharing his knowledge and would help them.”
The family also has been gratified by the neighborhood’s response to their loss, he said.
“One person purchased small American flags that ended up on everyone’s yard, with a note on each door: We’ve lost one of our neighbors,” Stover said.
“When we came home from Colorado Springs, they had decorated our house. They’d planted flowers: red, white and blue flowers and a red, white and blue banner,” Stover said.
“We have a lot of respect for our neighbors.”
