Maury Edward Stiver
June 2, 1944 – May 4, 2023
Maury Edward Stiver passed away Thursday, May 4, 2023, surrounded by his family at The Delaney at Lake Waco. A Memorial Service will be held in Houston at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, with The Reverend Tom Pace officiating.
Maury was born on June 2, 1944, in Clifton, Texas, to Jewell and Edward Stiver. A Waco High School graduate, Maury played football for one year at Austin College before transferring to Baylor University. After meeting the love of his life, Sharon Rose Glass, he joined her at The University of Texas in Austin where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering along with a Master of Science in Environmental Health Engineering with Honors.
Maury and Sharon married in 1966. Maury started his career in Austin with Engineering- Science, Inc. While living in Austin, he served in the Army Reserves and trained in military intelligence. With his work, Maury was transferred to Washington, D.C., where his office was in The Watergate. Those were three exciting and wonderful years, meeting and working with people from all over the nation. Family and friends visited, and they spent time traveling and exploring the historical sites along the East Coast. Their daughter was born while they lived in D.C.
Maury and Sharon missed their family and knew it was time to go home to Texas. They moved to Houston, where their son was born, and they raised their family. Together they founded Stiver Engineering, Inc. in 1980. Maury served multiple terms on the Board of the Houston Contractors Association and was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He also taught engineering at The University of Houston. By the end of a long career, Maury was recognized as one of the most knowledgeable and leading engineers in the State of Texas. Many of his clients and colleagues became lifelong friends who enjoyed traveling and spending time together. It gave him great joy to see those relationships continue to the next generation when his son, John, joined Stiver Engineering after college to carry on his life’s work and dedication to the field of engineering.
Maury enjoyed being outdoors and spending time with his family. Long weeks at the office were usually followed by weekends spent at Lake Winona or King Mountain Ranch in Coryell County. He had a passion to work, whether it was rebuilding a pier, pushing cedar on his dozer, clearing brush with a chainsaw, picking up rocks, planting the native pastures on his tractor, repairing fences, checking the ponds in the Gator or working the cattle or goat herds. A highlight of his year was family Thanksgiving celebrations, first at the lake, and later in the ranch barn.
Maury and Sharon traveled the world, but their favorite trips were with family to Rosemary Beach and skiing the mountains of Colorado. They also loved visiting National Parks and attending art auctions across the western United States with Judy and Louis Collins. Their homes are filled with the art they collected along the way. In Maury’s later years, their art was a wonderful reminder of their adventures together.
Community was important to Maury. He was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and the Good Will Class. He served on the Board of the Briarcroft Property Owners Association and Lake Winona Board of Homeowners. He served for a number of years on the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Flint Creek Cemetery and the Flat Water Supply Company.
In a recent conversation about wisdom and advice, Maury said, “always tell the truth.” He led a life filled with truth and love. He instilled confidence, spoke in a quiet manner and was extremely patient. He was a man who had much but needed little. Maury considered his children and grandchildren his greatest accomplishments and was the best Dad and Papa.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jewell Witcher Stiver and Edward Noble Stiver, and in laws Ora Alice Hamilton Glass and Henry Wesley Glass, aunts and uncles Sue and S.L Witcher, Mildred and Dennis Dail, John Maury Witcher and Frances Louis Stiver.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Sharon Glass Stiver, daughter Leslie and husband James Culwell Rice, son John Maury Stiver and wife Elizabeth Munger Stiver, grandchildren Megan Kathleen Rice, Hudson Hamilton Rice, Caroline Culwell Rice, John Henry Stiver and Charles Witcher Stiver, brother David Witcher Stiver and wife Ola Mae Baker Stiver, and sister Margaret Stiver Pate, sisters-in-law Judy Glass Collins and Anne Glass Davis, brother-in-law Bill Glass, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Honorary pallbearers are James Rice, David Stiver, Scott Woodard, Brian Pate, Michael MacGibbon, Derek Munger, John Freeman, Frank Dillard, Pete Peltier, Mark Boyer, Michael Ramirez and David Davila.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and Houston Area Parkinson Society.
