Stella Henry arrived in Port Charles to visit her nephew, Curtis Ashford, and her great-nephew, T.J. Ashford. Stella was the younger sister of Curtis' mother, and she had raised both Curtis and his elder brother, Thomas, when her sister had passed away from a prolonged illness. Stella broke off her engagement to the love of her life to focus on raising her two orphaned nephews, and she devoted her life to giving them the best life possible.

Stella was devastated when her nephew Thomas was killed. She blamed Thomas' wife, Jordan Ashford, for the friendly-fire incident because Jordan had been having an affair with the man who had shot Thomas. Stella's disdain for Jordan was compounded by Jordan's decision to send Thomas' teenaged son, T.J. to Port Charles to be raised by Jordan's ex-lover, Shawn Butler. Stella resented being estranged from her great-nephew, so she was eager to reconnect with T.J. when she arrived in Port Charles to visit Curtis. Tensions mounted when Stella discovered that Curtis and Jordan had been dating because Stella feared that Jordan would destroy Curtis' life the way that she had Thomas'.

After several heated confrontations between Stella and Jordan, Curtis and Jordan decided that it wasn't the right time for Stella to learn that T.J. was Shawn Butler's biological son. They asked T.J. to postpone telling his aunt about Shawn until things had calmed down. Unfortunately, T.J.'s girlfriend hadn't been aware of the decision. On June 22, 2017, Molly Lansing inadvertently let things slip. Stella was stunned that Jordan had lied about T.J.'s paternity. Stella assured T.J. that she loved him, and he would always be family, but she was furious at Jordan for betraying Thomas and lying about T.J.'s paternity. On July 7, the stress of the situation and her animosity toward Jordan triggered a minor stroke.

Stella was delighted when Curtis and Jordan decided to end things, and she made certain to use her history of mild strokes to her advantage to manipulate Curtis and Jordan from reuniting, but it wouldn't last. Eventually, love prevailed, and Stella learned that Jordan and Curtis were back together.

On September 8, 2017, Stella announced that she had decided to remain in Port Charles. She quickly found a job working at the hospital as a social worker. She tried her best to remain a thorn in Jordan's side, but Curtis and T.J. put their foot down and made it clear that Stella would have to accept Jordan if Stella wanted to be a part of Curtis and T.J.'s lives. Reluctantly, Stella agreed to their terms. She found a place on Charles Street then moved out of Curtis' apartment. T.J. and Molly lived nearby.

In March 2018, Stella befriended Mike Corbin who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Stella was a great help to Sonny Corinthos and his wife, Carly, as they tried to help Mike make plans for when Mike's disease progressed. Mike and Stella struck up an easy friendship, and they casually dated, but it never progressed beyond flirtatious banter. Unfortunately, Mike's disease advanced, and he began to spend his days at Turning Woods Long Term Memory Care, which had outpatient programs that catered to Mike's special needs.

To Stella's dismay, Curtis and Jordan's relationship remained strong and the two decided to get married. Stella objected to the wedding, and she made it clear that she would not attend. Curtis was hurt that Stella had refused to give her blessing, but he refused to call off the wedding. On November 19, Stella was shocked when she bumped into the love of her life, Marcus Godfrey, outside of Kelly's. Marcus revealed that he was in town with his wife, who had been receiving treatment. The visit had had a profound impact on Stella.

On November 27, Stella arrived at Curtis and Jordan's wedding just as the couple were about to exchange vows. She apologized to both, and she gave the couple her blessing. Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that Mike had fallen in love with a fellow patient at Turning Woods. The patient was Marcus' wife, Yvonne. Like Mike, Yvonne had Alzheimer's, and she was in the advanced stages. Yvonne shared a connection with Mike, and she had no memory of Marcus. Stella felt terrible for Marcus because he cared deeply for his wife. Frustrated, Marcus threatened to pull his wife out of the facility, but Stella helped Marcus realize that it would punish Yvonne more than it would hurt Mike.

With Stella's support, Marcus slowly accepted his wife's relationship with Mike. However, Marcus remained a dedicated husband and visited his wife daily. Stella occasionally bumped into Marcus, but his focus remained on his wife.

On February 22, 2019, tragedy struck when Jordan was struck by a car and suffered a devastating injury to her kidneys. The family learned that Jordan would need a kidney transplant, so everyone -- including Stella -- agreed to be tested. Stella was disappointed when she was not a match for Jordan. The two women had grown close, and Stella knew that Curtis was devoted to his new wife.