Elder Chandler Blake Stone receives his Mission Call!

With family listening in either in person or over cell phones, Chandler read his mission call up at Stonehaven on Thursday, July 30, 2009.

Elder Stone has been called to serve in the Guatemala, Guatemala City South Mission for the next two years. He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on October 28, 2009. He will be teaching the people of Guatemala the gospel in spanish. We are all very excited and so is Chandler!



See the attached video to find out when he reports to the Missionary Training Center and where he will be serving for the next two years... (We videotaped the experience but are having techical problems uploading the video to the Stone Family News Blog. We hope to get this corrected. Thank you for your patience.)

What an Incredible Day... Monday, July 27, 2009

We arrived at the Green Valley Cemetery in Cameron Park shortly after 9:00am. As we arrived, it was apparent that in addition to the immediate family for the Wood and Stone Families, we experienced a great reunion of the Stone, Wood, Judd and Hilton cousins. It was quite the celebration. As I looked around and saw everyone hugging and greeting each other, I thought of Kathy and how she must have been smiling down on these people that she loved having a moment together.

Prior to our short walk to the grave side, I stepped into the private room at the Mortuary where Kent was being kept to rest before the dedication of the grave. As I walked in, Elisabeth, Daniel, Kris, Sean, Eric and Jason greeted me. They all looked tired yet prepared for the events that we had been planning for over 5 weeks since Kathy's death. As I looked over at Kent, Elder Ronald A Rasband of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy was leaning over and speaking with Kent. Kent seemed grateful for the outpouring of support from his priesthood leaders and the General Authorities of the church.

As the group of over 100 family members and invited people walked to the graveside located in the northwest corner of the cemetery, I noticed that casket was placed in the spot that Daniel and Elisabeth had chosen under a large oak tree. It reminded me of Wood Valley Ranch and the large oak tree near the Bunk House. As they brought Kent up in a golf cart most of the family had gathered around to pay their respects to Kathy. Close family friends Dan Nethercott & Terry Lee transferred Kent from the Golf cart to a wheel chair for his comfort. As we arrived we were greeted by Bishop Bret Millett, of the Folsom 3rd Ward. He made some brief comments and then Elisabeth and Christina along with the Stone sisters (Suzi, Leslie, Loween and Sabrina) and the Wood sisters (Michele, Tammy, Shauna, Noel and Stacy) sang "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good". The beautiful hymn set the tone for the dedication of the grave offered by Ronald V. "Bud" Stone. Dad did a wonderful job in providing the blessings of the priesthood for this time and place.

At the conclusion of the dedicatory prayer, Bishop Millett invited members of the immediate family to place flowers on top of the Pecan colored casket. By the way, an interesting piece of information is that the name of the casket was "Woodhaven". Appropriate don't you think?

Following the graveside service, the family gathered in our cars and followed the police escort provided by the California Highway Patrol and the Folsom Police Departments. The funeral procession proceeded directly to The Mormon Center on Temple Hill. When we arrived it was just about 11:00am.

The family gathered in the west side of the building in the Relief Society Room. Once we were there, Ronald J. Stone provided the Family Prayer just prior to our entering the Chapel where the center section had been reserved for the family and special guests. We filled every row. As I looked back at those attending I noticed that the entire chapel and cultural hall were filled to capacity and later found out that many of the other rooms where also filled with individuals watching the service via closed circuit television. Based on a prior discussion that I had with Kent, I realized that their were about 1,500 people in that building to pay tribute and celebrate the life of Kathleen Stone Wood. Wow, all these people had been touched and many more who could not attend by my sister Kathy and my brother Kent.

The service started with the open hymn, "Lead Kindly Light" followed by the invocation offered by Patricia J. Stone. Mom did a wonderful job to invite the Spirit of the Lord to assist us in remembering the glorious Plan of Salvation. Following the prayer, Bishop Millett, who was conducting, offered some comments about Kathy and the great impact that she had personally made in his life. After Bishop Millett's remarks, a choir of former seminary students sang "I am a Child of God". It was clear from the emotion of Kathy's former students (Including Christina Wood) that they loved her and she had a powerful influence on their testimonies of the Savior.

The Eulogy was presented by both Elisabeth and Daniel. They both did a spectacular job in bringing out the personal feelings of all of Kent and Kathy's children and providing a history of their Mom's life and what made her special. Both provided both humor and emotion in describing Kathy and her wonderful life.

Following the Eulogy, Jason, Eric, Sean and Daniel sang a beautiful arrangement of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". It was a powerful way to communicate Kathy's Testimony of the Savior and what she tried to instill in not only her sons but also her two daughters as well. Many were affected emotionally by the feeling of Kathy's sons and their beautiful voices. They need to put that on a CD along with a number of other spiritual favorites.

The last two speakers of the service were Elder Rasband and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Rasband discussed his memories of Kathy being in charge of the music for the Sacramento Temple dedication. Of course Kent was in charge of this as the Stake President, but Kent know that if he delegated that to Kathy that it turn out wonderful and it did. Heavenly Choirs was the reference. Elder Christofferson, who served as a missionary in Argentina while Dad served as Mission President, mentioned how he knew Kathy when she was only 7 years old and that back then he knew she was special.

Following the remarks by Elder Christofferson, an ensemble choir sang "The Road Home". To conclude the meeting the benediction was offered by David E. Stone and then the family and guests were requested to exit to the east side of the building near the flag pole to greet each other.

It was wonderful to see so many friends who had made the trip from far far away to celebrate Kathy's life. As a family we are grateful for such an out pouring of love from the Folsom community and surrounding areas as well as the General church leadership who travelled to be with our family on this special day.

Following the Memorial Service, the family travelled to the Scholar Way building where members of the Folsom 3rd Ward and Folsom Stake had prepared a wonderful lunch for all of us. The opportunity to spend time with cousins from all over the US was wonderful. But the best part of the day, was to see Kent, sitting with his children, able to participate in the days events. We are all so thrilled that he is doing so well and recovering from his injuries. He still has quite a bit of rehabilitation, but we are so blessed that we are able to have this special man be able to continue to be with us. We will miss Kathy, but look forward to the day when we will join her in Paradise. Over all, this was an Incredible Day!

Articles about Kathy in the Sacramento Bee and the Folsom Telegraph today 7/22/2009

Please see the link below to read the article about Kathy that appeared in today's Sacramento Bee...

http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2045100.html

And the Folsom Telegraph...

http://folsomtelegraph.com/detail/119804.html

Family Schedule Announced for Kathy Stone Wood's Memorial Service

Attention Stone and Wood Family Members, the following is a breakdown of the events for July 27, 2009.

Please forward this blog information to any extended Stone or Wood family member who plans to come but who may not be aware of the days events.

Monday July 27th

9:30am - Dedication of Grave, Green Valley Cemetery, Rescue, CA

For Phone# and map to the Cemetery click here: http://www.greenvalleymortuary.com/?page=greenvalleycemetery

All family and extended Family for both Wood and Stone families are invited to attend. Some special guests of Kent Wood and children may also be included.

10:00am - Police escort for family to drive to Folsom Mormon Center where there will be reserved parking and reserved seating for all extended family and special guests of Kent and children.

11:00am - Public Memorial Service - Mormon Center at Temple Hill
Directions to Temple Address are below but you can get a Church Map link here

http://www.lds.org/temples/location/1,11219,1916-1-170-2,00.html
2100 California Circle
Rancho Cordova, CA

Driving east on Highway 50 from Sacramento (approx. 17 miles from Sacramento)
Take the Folsom Blvd. Exit #23
Turn right onto Folsom Blvd. (0.1 miles)
Follow Folsom Blvd. (0.2 miles)
Then Left on Alabama Ave. (0.1 miles)
Alabama is opposite the Folsom Auto Mall and you can only turn left at this light towards Aerojet

1:00pm - Extended Family Luncheon at the LDS Church Bldg at 89 Scholar Way, Folsom CA.

Type this address in here and get map and directions http://maps.google.com/

If you need more information, please feel free to contact David Stone 916-532-4180.

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

Public Memorial Date Set for Kathy Stone Wood

This morning the doctors confirmed that Kent Wood is likely to be discharged from the Kaiser Hospital in Roseville, CA sometime at the end of this week. Because of this positive news, the family has chosen to announce the date of the public memorial service for Kathy Stone Wood.

The public memorial service will be held on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 11:00am. The location of the service will be at The Mormon Center at Temple Hill. 2100 California Circle Rancho Cordova, CA.

Questions can be answered by calling Kathy's brother, David Stone at 916-532-4180.