Obituaries

Lucille Kaiser "Kay" Stone

Photo of Lucille Kaiser "Kay" Stone
Lucille Kaiser "Kay" Stone, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away on July 16, 2018, at the age of 99. She was born March 21, 1919 in Erhart, Ohio, to the late John Adam Kaiser and Mary Magdalene Simon Kaiser. Kay married the love of her life, Herbert "Herb" Welker Stone on October 15, 1937, and enjoyed a long and happy union of 59 years before he died in 1997. In her high school year book, she wrote that her hobby was "searching for stones". She was mom to many furry friends over the years; several beloved collies, cocker spaniels raised for breeding, and countless wild, orphaned or neglected animals brought to her by the game warden. She nurtured them and released back into the wild, unless you were "that one squirrel" who never left and rode on her shoulder, its tail wrapped muff-like around her neck. A favorite story was when Herb would arrive home from work, greeted enthusiastically by their collie in the "mud room" where he gently bent to kiss the dog on his long nose. Upon entering the kitchen, Kay said "you kiss the dog before you kiss me", to which Herb replied "if you greeted me wagging your tail, I would kiss you first". That was the way they were… full of wit, fun, mutual respect, kindness and commitment to family. After the kids left for college, Kay became the Medina County bookmobile driver. She drove that huge vehicle all over the county, proudly delivering books to the country kids, many who became regular "customers". That was life-changing for children who otherwise had no access or means to obtain reading material. They remained on Herb's father's farm near Medina, Ohio, until Homer passed away, then Herb and Kay researched retirement options and landed in Hot Springs Village, Ark., where they built their home in 1979. They quickly made friends and got involved in a local church, embraced the Arkansas Razorbacks and wore matching monogrammed jackets when attending games. They traveled all over the state, visiting every Arkansas State Park as well as enjoying travels across the country and to Canada during their lives together. Kay was an excellent seamstress, candy maker, homemaker, mother, grandmother and friend. Her recipe box overflowed with hand-written and clipped recipes from newspapers, magazines and friends' favorites. She had a plethora of cookbooks, bird books, and various other books from their many journeys. Her life was catalogued in multiple photo albums, filled with family, friends, animals, travels and life experiences. Kay was strong, had opinions but managed to state them without squashing yours, knew what she wanted, lived with a positive outlook, and was incredibly smart and observant. As her earthly life ends, ours are forever changed. We have memories of a tough but defining childhood, a happy marriage, family, trips, funny stories, and lessons she taught verbally and by example. Her love of the outdoors, wildlife, bird watching, and caring for all living things will allow us to continue to see her through these shared ways. Raised as a Catholic, she lost her dad at age 2 and her mother and brother as a teenager, then lived with various family members who introduced her to several denominations. After marrying, they agreed to find a mutual church home as a couple. It was Kay's spoken desire "to cover all the bases", said with a wink. They ended up at Presbyterian Kirk in The Pines in Hot Springs Village, which is their final earthly resting place, together again. She is survived by a daughter, Diane K. Schmidt (Bill) of Louisville, Colo.; a son, Kent R. Stone (Rita) of Little Rock, Ark.; a granddaughter, Sandy Schmidt (Fred Damon) of Louisville, Colo.; three grandsons, David Schmidt (Jackie Corchado) of Granite Bay, Calif., Michael Stone (Liz) of Holly Springs, N.C., Mark Stone (Mona Nour) of Raleigh, N.C., and 6 great-grandchildren: Zach and Tyler Vane of California; Catherine and Kent Stone; and Noor and Zane Ellington of North Carolina. Kay was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Arthur Kaiser; and her husband, Herbert Stone. Kay requested that there be no funeral service, which the family is honoring. Memorials may be made to their church: Presbyterian Kirk in The Pines, 275 Asturias Drive, Hot Springs Village, Ark. 71909, or Heifer International, 225 Keightly Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72207, or a charity of your choice. Online obituary and guest registry: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.

Published July 18, 2018

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