Christa Stephens remembered ‘for the good she did in this world’

Local business owner’s celebration of life set for June 8, J.R. Martin Park, Republic
On Saturday, May 3, the Republic community lost a most beloved member. Christa Stephens, 49, died due to complications from colon cancer on May 3. Immediately, those who knew her began flooding social media with condolences and the memories they had of her.
Case Howard, Christa’s husband, shared some of his memories of her, including how they first met.
“Christa and I met back in 2009,” he said. “She was three weeks into cosmetology school, and I met her through one of my really good friends, Meghan McDonald. They worked together at a bar on the northside called Fusion; Christa and I met there.”  
Not long after meeting Christa, Howard said that he knew she was the woman with whom he wanted to build a life.  
“Our first date was on a float trip,” he said, “where Christa broke her arm two miles into a 10-mile float trip, riding a horse bareback, of all things. And she was such a trooper; she was just a champion. She tried to help me … steer the canoe down the river. And I told myself then that I was going to marry this girl someday.  Little did I know that it would take nine years to get her locked in, because she had so many business opportunities and (ambitions).”  
Howard said he remembered when she started Inviktus, her first business, a hair salon on Main Street in Republic.  
“She started Inviktus back in 2010,” he said. “She had her first little corner shop there on Main Street; it was a 200-square-foot salon. She started out there, leasing it six weeks prior to graduating from cosmetology school.
“So we painted it, put our touch on it, and she started doing her clients’ hair that she had in school right as she graduated.”
Afterwards, Howard said they would continue to expand her business, opening numerous salons in various locations, including Springfield, Cape Fair, and even New Orleans. When the lease at a location would expire, he said, they would then move the salon to a larger location. At one point, he said, they had four hair salons, three coffee shops, and an online business. But while she was always opening new businesses, Howard said, she was never competing with anyone.
“Christa was not a woman of competition other than with herself,” he said, “and she would climb the mountain, and she would reach down, and she’d pull the next person up. That’s what she always did. Christa wanted to be recognized for the good that she did in this world while moving others forward, and I think she did that with grace every day she walked this earth.”
However, Howard said while Christa was very business-minded, she also liked to have fun. He said that on Star Wars Day (May 4th) last year, which he described as “Christa’s favorite holiday,” they were at the Denver Airport in Denver, Colo., and it was decorated with a lot of Star Wars memorabilia.
“She was a big kid … in a candy factory,” he said. “She was running around, getting her picture taken with everyone. And that’s what Christa was. She was joy. She was a powerhouse; she was a unicorn. They don’t make any more of her. She was just amazing, and you know, now, she’s gone.”
While Christa was being treated for cancer, Howard said, they had to shut down most of the businesses that she was running, but he said that he plans to keep her memory alive by keeping Inviktus and Black Lab Coffee in business.
“The only thing that I can do is keep her legacy alive,” he said. “And I’m going to do that through Black Lab and Inviktus Hair Salon. Of course, I don’t know how to do hair; I’m going to rely on the girls (who work there) to do that.”
Celebration of life
A celebration of life will be held for Christa at the amphitheater at J.R. Martin Park on Sunday, June 8, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. A ceremony will be held, and then a band will play Christa’s favorite songs. Grilled brats and hot dogs will be served, as well as red velvet dessert and Black Lab Coffee.
There is also a GoFundMe page to support Howard and his and Christa’s son, Cam, called “Stand with Case and Cam in Christa’s Memory.” As of press time, the page had raised $3,015 out of a $20,000 goal.
Looking back on his time with Christa, Howard described the life they had together as “awesome”.
“It was crazy; it was hectic,” he said. “It was chaotic at times, but it was beautiful.”