Obituary of James C. Stone

James Cordell Stone , son of Oscar and Vida (Deason) Stone, was born June 17, 1924 in Reward, CA. He went to be with the Lord on June 30, 2013. He traveled to the Ozarks with his mom, dad, two older brothers, aunt and uncle in a caravan of Model T’s when he was 3 months old. The family settled on the family farm west of Licking. James attended Bethlehem School until 8th grade and proceeded on to Licking High School. In May of 1946 he married the love of his life, Fairy (Foley) Stone. They purchased a small farm near the original family farm where he lived for the duration of his life. His passion for farming was evident in his long hours of hard work, planning, and total dedication to the welfare of his livestock. He was a loyal and faithful son, husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. In his early years his love of quail hunting led to the presence of at least three well-trained hunting dogs. The most memorable was “Old Duke” who he hunted over for 12 years. While he never got the opportunity to complete high school he had a high level of respect for the over- all importance of education in his community. He often stated that the “success of the community is reflected in the quality of education offered to our young citizens." He was a well-known and popular school bus driver during the 1960’s through the 1980's and talked frequently about that “rowdy” Gang from Big Piney. At Christmas and various other times of the year he showed his love of the kids on his route band provided snacks for the passengers. When he got to the Big Piney store the “rowdy gang” was usually treated to a soft drink from the store.. James’ love of horses was reflected in his wonder horse Maggie. She lived for 31 years on the Stone family farm and was invaluable to the farming operation. She was a well-trained work and pleasure horse. James attended the Freewill Baptist Church in Licking and was an active member for as long as he was able. James is survived by his wife Fairy of 67 years, one son Ron and wife Mary of Licking, one grandson Ryan and wife Ann, two great grandsons, Anthony James and Ethan Elijah of Rossville, IL. and sister-in-law Mary S. Stone of Licking, MO. He enjoyed blue grass music, working on his farm, tending to his live- stock, and most of all being with the lights of his life, his family. He will be sorely missed, but his kind and gentle spirit will live on in the lives he touched.