Stone Family News

Sister Katelyn Stone Receives her Mission Call!

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Sabrina Stone, Katelyn Stone and Aunt Cassia Blake Nielsen pose for a picture just after Katelyn opened her mission call letter at the Annual Mamone and Blake Family Reunion at Faria Beach, Ventura County, California.

On August 7th 2009, Katelyn opened her mission call letter at "The Beach House" near Ventura California. Sister Stone has been called to serve in the Rochester, New York Mission. She has been assigned to serve in the Hill Cumorah Vistors' Center in Palmyra, New York.

This is a perfect assignment for Katelyn! She loves church history and will be right in the middle of some of the most incredible church history sights. Not to mention her love for music and the fact that the Hill Cumorah Pagent will take place next summer.

We are thrilled for Katelyn and her mission call. She will report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on Wednesday November 4, 2009. One week after Chandler reports for his mission in the Guatemala City South Mission. Katelyn has been called to serve for a period of eighteen months.

Elder Chandler Blake Stone receives his Mission Call!

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:13:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:04:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:48:00 +0000

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.

Kathy Stone Wood Memorial Fund

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:43:00 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

As some of you may have heard, The Kathy Stone Wood Memorial Fund was recently established at Bank of America. This fund has been set up to assist The Kent and Kathy Wood family during this difficult time. These funds will be used to pay for funeral expenses for Kathy, any uncovered health care costs for Kent, as well as assist in the payment of additional travel expenses for the children of Kathy and Kent who have travelled from all over the United States and Canada to be with Kent during his hospitalization.

As the sponsor of this fund the dispersement of funds will be at my discretion. However, I will consult with Kent and other family members as to the use of these donated funds to the family.

If you have an interest in donating to this fund, please send contributions to:

The Kathy Stone Wood Memorial Fund
c/o David Stone
5582 W. Saint Francis Circle
Loomis, CA 95650

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 916-532-4180 or email me at david-stone@hotmail.com

Thank you...

David Stone
(Kathy's younger brother)

Kathy and Kent Wood

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:48:00 +0000

We will all miss our wonderful Kathleen Stone Wood. For updates on Kent Wood's condition please see the blog below...

http://www.kentandkathywood.blogspot.com

Thank you.

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Latter-day Christian Voices) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:16:00 +0000

It was great to have all the Kent and Kathy Wood family home for the holidays! This was our first time ALL together in FIVE YEARS! Now the house is eerily quiet and Holly is a little depressed. She thrived on all the love and attention. Pretty soon it will be even quieter with Christina off to Peru for four months and Jason looking to move out in the not too distant future. Here we are with "Gabby" Gail Wood on New Years Eve. We were thrilled to ring in 2009 with our beloved "Gabby!"

One of our unique memories from this year was Holly's initiation into inebriation. We awoke on Christmas morning to find her completely unable to walk, and covered in vomit. We rushed her to the emergency vet clinic, where they insisted she was exhibiting all the classic signs of being "drunk!" How could this be in our completely "dry" household? While her blood work up was underway, we remembered: a double batch of roll dough had been tossed into the garbage (a long, sad story ...). Holly had gladly downed this yeast and sugar concoction by pulling it out of the trash while we enjoyed our Christmas Eve feast inside. Hence, her groggy flopping across Dan (shown here) later that night and her "drunken stupor" the next day. A day of nothing but water rations and sleep had her up and about on the 26th!

We were joined on our expedition to SF by Eric's buddy, Spencer.

Anyway, the holidays were great fun while they lasted - even our rainy day celebration of Kris' birthday on Jan 2nd in San Francisco. We've never seen it more crowded at Golden Gate Park, so we opted for the beach instead
and tried to find a place for lunch to meet Kristen's one request: not sushi. So where did we eat? A Japanese restaurant, of course! We all ordered teriyaki chicken or salmon, or tempura - except for Kris. She ordered sushi! She was always cheerful, no matter what, and endured the Wood penchant for spontaneity versus planning ahead (this is more of a Stone tradition) like a seasoned "by the seat of her pants" flier. One would think she was meant to be a part of this family!!

Well, silence is not so golden, in my opinion, but we will endure it until the next chance we have to be together again!

Posted by Kathy Wood - a hen whose chicks have mostly flown the coop

Chan the Man is now Chan the Cheerleading Man

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:27:00 +0000

To carry on that great school spirit tradition, Chandler Blake Stone called this morning to inform Sabrina and I that he made the Cheerleading team at BYU. Yes believe it or not, Chandler's leaping and flipping ability has brought him a great opportunity to cheer for the Cougars.

Evidently there were 20 other men that tried out and Chandler was one of the 3 men chosen. The other 2 were 21 and 24 years old. Chandler was the only Freshman who made the team! Is it possible that the cheerleading judges knew that Chandler's Great Uncle was the one and only legendary Doug Stone... Head Male Cheerleader at BYU in 1955? Or is it possible that they had heard that he was the son of "Dave the Wave" from the 1986 season and was now attending BYU?

Let's see... Chandler's thoughts on why he tried out for the Cheerleading team.
1. Great seats at all of BYU's sporting events.
2. Lots of FREE BYU apparel.
3. I get to work out and get school credit.
4. If I get on the A team, I could be eligable for a scholarship.
5. I get to hang out with lots of really cute girls.
6. Bottom line, sounds like a lot of fun.

The Stone Family tradition of great school spirit carries on with Chandler and the Cougs'!
Way to go "Dudie!"
Now let's see one of those flips!

New Experience in Cougar Town

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

The view out Chandler Stone and Tommy Dudley's window in 3105 Budge Hall says it all. "I am not in Loomis anymore " or in the case of Tommy "I am not in Carson City anymore". David, Sabrina, Katelyn Chandler and Carli arrived in Provo on Wednesday, August 27, 2008. The weather was clear and temperature was in the high 80's. Helaman Halls was bustling with new Freshman and their parents bringing in boxes, suit cases and hanging rods full of clothes. OK, that was around the girls dorms. In the case of Chandler, we were carrying in some suit cases, but mostly white kitchen garbage bags full of clothes. Of course, Chandler got this bright idea from his big sister Katelyn who is an upper classman at BYU. Katelyn used white garbage bags to move across town. Pretty funny.

Katelyn's housing situation did not go smoothly, but she is now in a small house with 3 roomates and is really happy. If you view the photos below you will see how ready the apartment was for Katelyn and her roomate Ashley Sant.

Needless to say that if cleanliness is next to Godliness, well... let's just say that this place wasn't ready for them to move in on the 28th as planned.

In addition, the security of the basement apartment was questionable as you can see from the high quality air conditioning system (swap cooler) at street level complete with duct tape and cardboard. Fortunately the landlord was understanding and willing to work with us and the girls were able to get out of their contracts.

So... we spent the next day renting a U-haul and searching all over Provo for an apartment that would work. That being said, through persistance we finally found something that would work. Katelyn and Ashley are happy and all of the parents are feeling better about it as well. So, it all worked out well in the end!

Let's all hope that there is great success in the classroom for both Chandler and Katelyn.

D.E. Stone family visits Nauvoo in July of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:26:00 +0000

Is anyone in the family interested in making a trip to Nauvoo, IL in 2009 or later to be a part of the Family Cast for the Nauvoo Pageant? It just might be an amazing family reunion...

If nobody else in the family is interested in doingin 2009, perhaps we can discuss it for a later year. Maybe we should do Tahiti in 2009 before Aunt Diane and Uncle Tom complete their church mission?! Any takers?

I know it's sideways...but I couldn't resist.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:27:00 +0000

All I have to say is: watch Summer.

Welcome Stone Family News Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Summerella) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:28:00 +0000

OK Stone Family News Readers, Sabrina and I took a class today and learned how to set up a family Blog. We thought that it would be very cool for all of us to have an opportunity to connect on the web, especially since we are spread all over the country. From Coast to Coast. We know that Kent, Kristin and Dan are already blogging pro's and hope that they can provide us links to their existing blogs. So... Join in the fun. Post pictures, videos, etc. If you would like to be a contributor to the Stone Family Blog, please email me and i will be happy to add you to the list.

By the way, "Little Buddy" lost his other front tooth tonight. So... now he can sing, "All I want for summer is my two front teeth..." :-)

Goodnight to all!

PS. look out for the tooth fairy.

We are now Bloggers!

noreply@blogger.com (David Stone) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:19:00 +0000

This is our first Post. Sabrina and I are now Blogging. Sweeeeeet! We look forward to providing updates on Stone Family News!