HAWAII  Ron Stone, 73, of Juneau, Alaska died July 25, 2011, at his sons home in Mililani, Oahu, Hawaii after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on Jan. 1, 1938, in Sandusky, Ohio, the son of  Raymond R. Stone and Lillian M. Griggs. He came west with his family in 1941, settling in Nahcotta. His education was at Ocean Park Grade School and Ilwaco High School.

    He was a military veteran having joined the Navy in 1955 and served on the destroyer escort LeRay Wilson as a steam engineer. In December 1957, he married Margaret Johnson in Los Angeles, where he worked as the youngest person in that city to ever qualify for an Unlimited Steam Engineers license.

    In 1965, his life took a new direction and he enrolled at California Missionary Baptist Seminary graduating in 1970 with a masters degree in theology.  Later in 1996, he obtained his doctorate in Christian ministry from the Southern Baptist School for Biblical Studies.  

    Mr. Stone was ordained into the ministry in 1969 and after finishing graduate school he chose to dedicate himself to Christian missionary work in Alaska with a base in Anchorage. In this endeavor he gained his pilots license and radio permit and flew into remote villages to preach the gospel and teach bible classes with a program called Wilderness Wings. He and his wife also were the founders of a new Baptist church in Anchorage, which still exists and thrives today.  When medical problems grounded him from flying, he changed paths and began singing and recording gospel music.   

    With the exception of about 10 years in the 1980s when he moved back to the Peninsula, he spent most of his adult life in Alaska serving the church. In 1991, he settled in Juneau where he was a maintenance supervisor in a housing development.  He and his wife stayed active in the church and taught bible study. 

    He will be remembered for his beautiful singing voice, his love of adventure and his great sense of humor.

    Survivors include his son, Ronnie Stone of Oahu, Hawaii; a sister, Sandra Tellvik of Ocean Park; grandsons, Joshua Preston of Juneau and Titus Stone of Colorado; and son-in-law, Joe Shepherd of Juneau.  His wife, Margaret, and daughter, Mryan, preceded him in death. Arrangements were by Alaskan Memorial Park Mortuary with burial in Juneau.