WN Stone

WN Stone, 84 of Mexia, passed away Sept. 10, 2018, in Palestine, Texas. The service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at First Baptist Church Mexia with Marcus Sheffield officiating. Interment will follow in the Point Enterprise Cemetery.

Visitation with the family will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Blair-Stubbs Funeral Home.

WN was born Nov. 25, 1933, in Odds, Texas, to Shirley May Stone and Charlie Stone. He grew up on a farm, attended Big Hill Elementary, eventually graduating from Groesbeck High School. He served two years in the Army and was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, where he said he fought the “cold war.” After returning from his military service, he attended Abilene Christian College, afterwards transferring to Sam Houston State Teacher’s College, where he earned a Master’s degree in Biology. In 1960, while attending Sam Houston, he married the love of his life, Bernadette Barkouskie.

After graduating from Sam Houston, WN’s first teaching position was as a biology teacher in Mexia, where he would end up spending the rest of his teaching, administrative and bus-driving career – a total of more than 30 years. During the earliest of these years, he earned himself the name of “Doc Rock,” which would stay with him through his entire career. Early on, he would drive the bus for all the away football and basketball games and ran the score board at all the home games for many years. For countless students, they will remember summer Driver’s Ed with him. At certain times of the year there were no insects safe in the Mexia area due to his annual “bug collection.” During his career, WN was able to influence the lives of many young men and women.

While teaching at Mexia, WN reached back to his roots of farming and ranching, and during the late sixties and through the early-’70s, had one of the largest registered Red Angus herds in the country. Then, in the mid-’70s, his efforts turned towards raising peaches. He was known for having some of the best peaches in Central Texas, drawing people from near and far to buy peaches at Stone’s Fruit Stand. His love for farming and ranching ran deep, and he was involved with it until the end.

WN was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Shirley Stone; his loving wife of 55 years, Bernadette; infant daughter Mary Elizabeth; his brothers, Charles Jr., Marshall and Jack Stone; and his sister, Louise Ray.

WN is survived by son, Rusty Stone and wife Karen of Palestine; daughter, Monette White and husband Wade of Teague; grandchildren Macy Lauren Stone, Katherine “Katie” Grace Stone, Rachel Elizabeth White, Brolen Alexander White, and Chance Quentin White; and great-grandchild, Aubrey Deann White.

Please visit www.blairstubbs.com to sign the guest book or leave a message of condolence.