Judith Stone

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Judith Maureen Stone, neé Hislop, wife of Dr. Gordon Stone, passed away on April 6th. A private memorial service is pending at OakCrest Funeral Home.

Judith is survived by her husband, her three sons James, Peter and Derek, by her seven grandchildren, and by her brother and sister who live in Sydney.

Judith was born in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 1928. She was educated at Ascham, a private girls school located in Edgecliff, in the Eastern suburbs.

She excelled at golf, squash, swimming and tennis. In the latter sport, as a girl she represented New South Wales, and later her squash was at such a high level that for four years she was the NSW State champion. For several years she was a keen member of the Royal Sydney Golf Club.

After training as a physiotherapist and working as such in a Sydney hospital for a period, she set off in June 1953 on a world tour with a group of friends arriving in England in time to partake in celebrations associated with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

Subsequently, she and some of her friends purchased an old London taxi and used this vehicle for several weeks to tour the British Isles.

After spending a few months in France, in February 1954 she crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary, in order to take up an appointment as a physiotherapist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

The sea crossing was exceptionally rough so that few passengers ventured outside their cabins during the five-day voyage, and those that did so were thrown together. In this way she met her future husband Gordon Stone who was in transit to take up an appointment at Harvard University. After their arrival in the United States some serious commuting ensued between Baltimore and Cambridge, Massachusetts, but Judith insisted on continuing her world tour, crossing Canada by train and thence going home via ship to New Zealand.

After a brief stay in Sydney she returned to the Boston area and married Gordon on June 28, 1956 after a ten-day engagement.

In 1962 Judith and Gordon left New England for Britain, settling in Bristol for 27 years after Gordon was appointed a professor at the University.

As well as bringing up her family, Judith devoted much of her time to providing social and pastoral support to Gordon's many co-workers and their wives, and to visitors from all over the world.

Particularly whilst at Bristol Judith developed a very wide circle of friends, which was maintained even after she moved with Gordon to Waco, Texas in 1990, where they attended St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

The family gratefully acknowledges and thanks the loving assistance of Suzanne Smith, Terri Oldham, and the Providence Hospice team.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests that donations be made to the Dallas Area Parkinsonism Society at 3003 LBJ Freeway # 125E, Dallas, Tx 75234. They may also be visited at www.daps.us.

An online guestbook is available at www.oakcrestwaco.com.