Obituary of Vera Stone

Vera J. Stone, 94, died peacefully, Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at the Ivan Calderwood Homestead. She was born in Vinalhaven, May 19, 1918, she was the daughter of Ralph E. and Ida Bowden Warren. After her mother's untimely death, she lived with her grandmother, Flavilla Warren, until her early teen years. She was a 1937 graduate of Lincoln High School at Vinalhaven.

During her high school years, Vera worked summers at Havens Inn on North Haven. In the fall of 1937, she moved to Wollaston, MA, and was employed at McLean Hospital in Waverly. She later worked at Raytheon Manufacturing Co. in Waltham, where she met her future husband Donald Stone, who had just returned from service in Europe, with the 82nd Airborne Division. The couple married May 19, 1946, at Belmont Street Baptist Church in Watertown, MA. They later moved from Sudbury to Springfield, and East Longmeadow, MA, and after their two children were born they settled in Great Barrington, MA. Throughout that same period she continued her education at Westfield State Teachers College, Vermont College at Pittsfield and North Adam State Teachers College. In that community, she established Hillside Kindergarten and Nursery School, which she owned and operated several years.

In 1965 she established a Pilot Program for a summer Head Start program in Great Barrington. While serving as Director of that program, she also established Head Start programs in Lenox, Lee and Chester, Massachusetts.

In 1971, she moved with her husband to Stuart, FL. In 1972, she began teaching in the Martin County Head Start Program, and in association with that program received additional special training at the Indian River Community College and the University of Miami at Coral Gables. She later taught 7th Grade at Stuart Middle School and also served as a substitute teacher in the Stuart School System.

Vera retired from her teaching career to care for her husband during his final Illness. Mr. Stone died in Stuart, June 7, 1991.

In the summer of 1995, Vera returned to her beloved Vinalhaven, shere she resided until the time of her death. Other than her husband, Vera was pre-deceased by her son Ronald W. Stone, January 10, 2011. She is survived by one daughter, Judith Stone Burghardt and her husband Peter of Stuart, FL; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins. Vera will be buried beside her husband, at Forest Hills memorial Park, Palm City, FL.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Vinalhaven Eldercare Services, Inc., P.O. Box 624, Vinalhaven, ME 04863.

Local arrangements are entrusted to Forest Hills Funeral Homes, Palm City Chapel.