Mary Lou Stone

Mary Lou Stone, 98, died peacefully at Westminster Health Care Center in Clarksville, Indiana, in the company of close loved ones on September 15, 2025. She is already greatly missed.

She was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana on August 9, 1927, to Herbert Hayden Howland and Helen Elizabeth Howland (Summers), the oldest of 3 children. She received an Associate’s degree from Stephens College in Colombia, Missouri, then began pursuit of a Bachelor’s in English at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, Indiana. While at IU, she met Charles Flemming Stone, a handsome gentleman radically 9 months her junior, and they dropped out of school to marry on June 12, 1948, after a few long months of courtship. Their successful marriage of 58 years was comprised of world travel, many shared hobbies and friends, 5 children, and multiple pets – mainly cats, which are the superior animal.

Mary was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend – but she as a person was so much more. While only possible to tap the surface of her many merits within an obituary, if only one word were allowed to describe her, “sweet” would be at the top of the list, both from those who were closest to her and those who merely made her acquaintance. No matter the situation, her thoughtfulness and care for others remained a priority, and her bright, beautiful, genuine smile could light up even the darkest room. Throughout her life, Mary had a very liberal mind, advocating what at the time were progressive views of equality and philanthropy during the Jim Crow era, and maintained until the end her passion of following the news to understand current events and their impacts. Her life experiences were nothing short of iconic, including working at Louisville’s Bowman Field the summer she turned 17 in 1944, during which she witnessed hundreds of planes taking off to join the fight for World War II.

She and Charles were bridge tournament champions, traveling the country to compete, and were avid golf-players while living in Tucson, Arizona. Though her language skills  were advanced - she often reigned victorious over many rounds of the word game Boggle - she was not a chatty person, instead erring on the side of speaking softly and with intention. She patiently and actively listened to those around her, providing an empathetic ear and valuable wisdom as the situation called for it.

Mary was well-liked throughout her life, maintaining friendships across multiple states and within the community at Westminster. She was a practicing Christian who towards the end of her life found comfort in prayer, passages from the Bible, and especially in time spent with her loving family. Mary’s love and support of her children and grandchildren were one of her greatest triumphs, never wavering and always radiating to others her family loved as well. She leaves a strong legacy of endearing love, beauty, wisdom, wit and humor, resilience, empathy, generosity, and a bright light that will live on through those who love her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Helen; husband, Charles; brother, Herbert “Bud” Howland, Jr.; son, David Stone; daughter, Beverly Baxter; and grandson, Ryan Meredith. She is survived by her sister, Sandy Forrest (Don); son, Steve Stone (Francie); daughter, Janet Stone; daughter, Susan Meredith (James); daughter-in-law Deb Stone (David); and many beautiful grandchildren and great grandchildren to carry on her legacy.

Mary will be cremated at Scott Funeral Home in Jeffersonville, and her surviving family will gather to scatter the ashes when the time is right.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to express condolences simply share heartfelt words and find a meaningful way to make the world a better place, as Mary did. Plant a tree, volunteer in your community, donate necessary items to an animal or homeless shelter, take time to be nice to someone else. May we honor her memory with persevering kindness, acceptance, and curiosity, even in the face of adversity.

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