Stephen Gower

Stephen Gower                                                               Toccoa, Georgia

Mr. Stephen M. Gower, age 73 of Toccoa passed away Saturday, March 21, 2020 at his home.

Stephen M. Gower, CSP, MDiv. was born March 5, 1947, in Toccoa, Stephens County, Georgia, and lived most of his life there. He was the son of the late Stephen Macklyn “Mac,” Jr. and India Bond Gower. Survivors include his wife, of 29 years, Lynne Anderson Gower of the home, his sister, Sylvia Lundy of Dahlonega, GA. Stephen is survived by his three children, Carter M. Gower of Gainesville, GA, Stephanie Azzolin of Watkinsville, GA, and Paul Dukes of Brossard, Quebec, Canada. Stephen has eight grandchildren, and he has enjoyed every moment that he had with them.  

Stephen was a graduate of Toccoa High School, where he participated in the first Class of Governor’s Honors Program. He graduated from Mercer College, earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree, continuing his education at Emory University, where he served as president of the Student Government and received his Master’s in Theology.  
Upon returning to Toccoa, he invested much of himself into the community where he received “Outstanding Young Man of the Year.” He was the distinguished president of the Toccoa Kiwanis Club and a distinguished Lieutenant Governor of the Regional Kiwanis. He was selected as one of the five chartered trainers worldwide for the Kiwanis. Stephen was president of the American Cancer Society for Toccoa and in the surrounding region and president of the American Heart Association for Toccoa and president for the region.    

As the owner of The Gower Group, Inc. and Lectern Publishing, he authored 28 books and presented more than 5,000 presentations worldwide. In 2005, Mr. Gower was awarded the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association — Certified Speaking Professional. He presented for NSA during three conferences and was the host for “Meet the Pros” on several occasions. He has presented in all 50 states and ten countries, he developed a featured series for PBS and was featured on the SiriusXM. During his professional speaking career, he presented for the leadership of 4,200 chapters of the United Chamber of Commerce, the Turkey Human Resources, and the Arabian Human Resources.  

He was a lifelong member of the Toccoa First United Methodist Church, where he served as an Ordained Elder. He also served on the following boards: North Georgia Association of Broadcasting, Atlanta Counsel of Campfire, and the Salvation Army. Stephen had a full career in broadcasting, starting at age 15 with WNEG. He served several churches through the North Georgia United Methodist Church. He worked many years for WLET and enjoyed serving his home town through radio. His last project was Tic Toc Toccoa on WNEG. Stephen strived to help listeners enjoy the services and events offered to the public.  

In lieu of flowers, make memorials to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Donation Processing, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014. Stephen battled Parkinson’s Disease for more than 14 years.

Mr. Gower’s Memorial Service will be announced at a much later date. 

Acree-Davis Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements for Mr. Stephen M. Gower.