Scott Parker remembers Kathy Stone Wood

I met Kathy in the fall of 1967. My family had just moved to Modesto and Kathy and I attended the same elementary (Sherwood Elementary) school for 6th grade. I was the new kid in school and I remember meeting Kathy and speaking to her briefly. A couple of days later I was attending mid-week Primary, (as was done all those years ago) and was surprised to find out Kathy and I shared the same religion as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
That first acquaintance began a life long friendship. Kathy was a true friend who was always proud of her religion and her standards. Kathy wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knew her. I remember a time in 7th grade; we had a substitute female teacher who happened to be a Far-East refugee during the Vietnam War era. The teacher spoke with a very strong accent and she innocently mispronounced many words in the English vocabulary. You can imagine a room full of 12 and 13 year old boys making fun of this teacher’s struggling language skills. We were relentless. Kathy had had enough of us and true to form, she stood up in the class, with her beehive hair-doo and scolded every one of us for our rude, inappropriate behavior. That was the end of our teasing and none of us wanted to take on Kathy Stone. Kathy was no wallflower, even in 7th grade.
I use to call Kathy my “guardian angel” through those high school years. She was always my friend and set a helpful example for me. We would have long discussions about the Gospel and the challenges we faced as members of the Church. She had an uncanny way to lift you and make you want to do better. She was a perfect example without being preachy or self-righteous. She was very popular in school and her influence and friendship cut across many social groups. She was not only a believer in Christ, she was always a follower of His teachings in everything she did and everything she said. A few High School friends (Brad Drasbek and George Fox) joined the Church as a result of Kathy and the Stone family. On the night of our graduation from High School, I was snubbed by a girl I was dating because I “didn’t drink”. With few options open to me, I called Kathy and she invited me to join her friends at a “band/choir” party (hey, is that a new reed in your clarinet?). I was home by 10:00 PM (earlier than my parents) but if it hadn’t been for Kathy, I wouldn’t have had any place to go.
High school led to college at BYU and a mission to London England for me. I will never forget Kathy singing “O’ that I were an Angel” at my Mission farewell. I was thinking just days before Kathy’s death if she would be available to sing at my mothers funeral (in the future).
As is often the case, you lose touch with your female childhood friends after your own marriage and children. While I have seen Kathy and Kent over the years in both Modesto and Folsom, those get togethers have been few and far between. But when we did see each other, it was as though no time had passed. I had recently reconnected with Kathy briefly on Facebook. My wife and I had just returned from our responsibilities for our Ward Youth Conference Saturday afternoon, when I received word from my sister in San Diego about the accident, Kathy’s death and Kent’s critical condition. Like everyone reading this, I was absolutely devastated.
I am grateful to know Kent is recovering and the Wood family didn’t lose both parents in this tragedy. But my friend is gone and that hurts as I think about her and that effervescent smile. I know Kathy and she would tell me just like she did many times, “don’t worry, the Gospel is true, Jesus Christ is my Savior and I will be busy with new responsibilities at a new location; we’ll see each other again”. Selfishly, I wish I could say good-bye to my dear friend. I am so grateful I was lucky enough to know her. She made an indelible mark on my life, as I know she has on many others.

With much love to the Stone and Wood families,
Scott Parker