Friends remember the life and legacy of former WLBT Sports Anchor/Reporter Chuck Stinson

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A great loss for so many, including the WLBT family. Former sports anchor and reporter Chuck Stinson died Monday morning at his home in Madison after a long and courageous fight against HLH. We remember his humor, dedication to Mississippi Sports, the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, and what was truly his heart, his family.

In a tribute to Chuck, Donate Life Mississippi shared his passion for his wife and three girls, his pets, the Seattle Seahawks, golf, and the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation. For friends who hoped and prayed for a miracle as Chuck’s health declined over the last two years, his love of his family, sports, and big sense of humor are etched in their hearts.

Longtime friend and colleague Doug Colson said, “he had a spirit through this whole thing, and he had a fight through this whole thing. I don’t know how many people could have fought as long as he fought and dealt with the challenges that he dealt with.”

Chuck began his career at WLBT in August of 1995. In 2009 he took a job as director of Community Services and Relations with the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency. He worked tirelessly to bring awareness to organ and tissue donation and to sign up more donors in this state.

Another friend Randy Watkins, Owner and CEO of Randy Watkins Golf Group said, “everybody who knew Chuck is heartbroken today. We really are. It’s been a long, hard-fought battle by he and Regina and the girls, and he’s gonna be missed greatly. He was a great friend to me personally. He was a great friend to golf, which he loved the game. He was terrible at it, but he loved the game.”

Chuck interviewed some of the greats in sports. His storytelling and big laugh made him easy to talk with, and most who met him became lifelong friends.

“He had a love for everything he did. One of the hardest-working guys I ever knew. And he threw himself into, whether it was television, whether it was his job with MORA, whether it was the radio show that we did together. He always brought that passion and always brought that same energy level,” Colson said.

Former WLBT Photographer Wesley Harris said, “Chuck was a lot of fun to work with. He was always fun, always energetic. We always had a really good time. Just had a lot of football games together, a lot of road trips together.”

Whether it was the sports desk, on the sidelines, or his work at MORA, Chuck was a symbol of sports in Mississippi, but his wife Regina and their three daughters are what he lived for and what gave him the greatest joy.

“We were hoping this day wasn’t going to come, but our hope is that he is in a better place and he doesn’t have to fight any longer,” Watkins said.

Arrangements for Chuck are being planned for the next week or two. He was 60 years old.

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