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Condolences to the Stallings family and a heartfelt thanks to Gene for being an architect of the class that is the Dallas Cowboys and a great Son of Texas.
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Friends celebrate the life of John Mark Stallings
By Steve Reeves, Staff Writer
Published: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:40 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | There were a few tears and much laughter as people gathered at the Arc of Tuscaloosa County to remember the life of John Mark Stallings, son of former University of Alabama coach Gene Stallings.
“He was just full of love,” said Janet Dill, president of the board of directors for Arc, a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with mental disabilities. “When we heard he passed away, we were just heartbroken.”
Stallings, 46, died Aug. 2 at Paris Regional Medical Center of a congenital heart condition related to Down syndrome. He was buried Tuesday at the Stallings’ Hike-A-Way Ranch in Paris, Texas.
The memorial held at Arc was more of a celebration, as the approximately 40 people who attended remembered the way John Mark led his life and the joy he brought to others.
Jean Crawford, a former president of Arc’s board of directors, laughed as she recalled how “Johnny,” as he was called, always enjoyed going to lunch for a taco salad. Stallings would somehow manage to have someone to pay for his lunch, even though he had his own money.
“He would always say he had that $5, but he never spent that $5,” Crawford laughed.
Stallings’ father, Gene Stallings, was an enthusiastic supporter of Arc who, soon after he arrived at UA in 1990, met with Crawford and agreed to help her raise $30,000 for Arc.
The resulting golf tournament raised more than $1 million by the time Stallings quit his coaching job at UA after the 1996 season and is still going strong today.
“We’ve raised a lot of money and it all goes back to Johnny Stallings,” Dill said.
The memorial service was held at the McGraw Activity Center lunchroom at Arc, where the lunchroom bears his name. Dill began the memorial service with the poem, “I’m Free,” which ended with the line, “God wanted me home, and he set me free.”
Stallings had a close association with Arc from the time he arrived in Tuscaloosa.
“I wish for a moment we could see the world through Johnny’s eyes,” Dill told the attendees, “because what Johnny saw was love, what Johnny gave was love.”
Stallings’ association with Arc led to a job at the Paul W. Bryant Museum, where he was a fixture. He loved to point out pictures of his father to visitors.
“He was so awfully proud of Gene,” said Clem Gryska, a legendary former UA football player and coach who worked with Stallings at the museum. ‘When I walked in and looked at him, it was always a pleasure.”
Ken Gaddy, director of the Bryant museum, said Stallings loved nothing more than to lead visitors around the museum.
“Even though Johnny is gone, people can still come see Johnny, see Johnny through us,” Gaddy said.
The brief memorial service ended with several songs, including “Amazing Grace,” and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.
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Friends celebrate the life of John Mark Stallings
By Steve Reeves, Staff Writer
Published: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:40 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | There were a few tears and much laughter as people gathered at the Arc of Tuscaloosa County to remember the life of John Mark Stallings, son of former University of Alabama coach Gene Stallings.
“He was just full of love,” said Janet Dill, president of the board of directors for Arc, a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with mental disabilities. “When we heard he passed away, we were just heartbroken.”
Stallings, 46, died Aug. 2 at Paris Regional Medical Center of a congenital heart condition related to Down syndrome. He was buried Tuesday at the Stallings’ Hike-A-Way Ranch in Paris, Texas.
The memorial held at Arc was more of a celebration, as the approximately 40 people who attended remembered the way John Mark led his life and the joy he brought to others.
Jean Crawford, a former president of Arc’s board of directors, laughed as she recalled how “Johnny,” as he was called, always enjoyed going to lunch for a taco salad. Stallings would somehow manage to have someone to pay for his lunch, even though he had his own money.
“He would always say he had that $5, but he never spent that $5,” Crawford laughed.
Stallings’ father, Gene Stallings, was an enthusiastic supporter of Arc who, soon after he arrived at UA in 1990, met with Crawford and agreed to help her raise $30,000 for Arc.
The resulting golf tournament raised more than $1 million by the time Stallings quit his coaching job at UA after the 1996 season and is still going strong today.
“We’ve raised a lot of money and it all goes back to Johnny Stallings,” Dill said.
The memorial service was held at the McGraw Activity Center lunchroom at Arc, where the lunchroom bears his name. Dill began the memorial service with the poem, “I’m Free,” which ended with the line, “God wanted me home, and he set me free.”
Stallings had a close association with Arc from the time he arrived in Tuscaloosa.
“I wish for a moment we could see the world through Johnny’s eyes,” Dill told the attendees, “because what Johnny saw was love, what Johnny gave was love.”
Stallings’ association with Arc led to a job at the Paul W. Bryant Museum, where he was a fixture. He loved to point out pictures of his father to visitors.
“He was so awfully proud of Gene,” said Clem Gryska, a legendary former UA football player and coach who worked with Stallings at the museum. ‘When I walked in and looked at him, it was always a pleasure.”
Ken Gaddy, director of the Bryant museum, said Stallings loved nothing more than to lead visitors around the museum.
“Even though Johnny is gone, people can still come see Johnny, see Johnny through us,” Gaddy said.
The brief memorial service ended with several songs, including “Amazing Grace,” and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.
