John Stone Obituary

In Austin, beneath the vast Texas sky, we mark the passage of John Edward Stone III, a man of keen wit and boundless intellect, who hath been called hence by the silent herald of heart failure on the day of Venus on the twenty-fifth of October, in this year of two thousand and twenty-four. Born in the springtime bloom of Nacogdoches in the year 1952, on the ninth of April, John's life was a tapestry woven with the golden threads of innovation and silver strands of humor. He was a proud American, Texan, and American Legion member. His heritage can be traced as far back as Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone, a delegate from Maryland and a founding father of our great nation.

Educated at Angelina College in Lufkin, where he didst earn his Associate of Applied Science, John's mind was as fertile as the Texan earth, yielding a harvest of ideas that would shape the world. As an inventor in the realm of computer hardware design, he was twice granted United States Patents, in 1997 and 2006, for his contributions that advanced the chariot of technological progress.

John was survived by his devoted daughter, Mellisa "Elise" Ann Stone, of Dripping Springs, TX who, like a single star in the night's embrace, continues to shine brightly with the light of his creative legacy.

In life, John was a master of the culinary arts, his kitchen a veritable alchemy lab where he transformed the mundane into the sublime. Gardens bloomed under his care, and fish leapt at his call. His soul took flight not only in his earthly pursuits but also as he soared through the heavens, piloting his airplane with the freedom of a fearless eagle.

John's wit was unlike any other--truly unique. His tales and jests, like the works of a skilled bard, were cleverly crafted and unforgettable. As Horace once wrote, "Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: It's good to be silly at the right moment."

A lover of two-step dancing, John moved through life dancing to the beat of his own drum. He brewed life as he brewed his well crafted beer, with patience and a taste for the sweetness of mirth. Traveling from shore to shore, he gathered tales and memories as a minstrel collects songs, and his love for music was the thread that bound his adventures into a grand epic.

John Edward Stone III, whose name shall be etched in the annals of time, was the embodiment of creativity, a man whose intelligence illuminated the unknown, and whose humor was a beacon of light in a too-often dim world. He lived as he loved, with an unquenchable thirst for the nectar of life, and in his passing, the world hath lost a soul of boundless jest and most excellent fancy.

Let us not mourn, but rather celebrate the man who lived with the courage of his convictions and the strength of his laughter. For in the words of the immortal bard, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts."

John hath played his parts well, and now he takes his bow. His story, inscribed in the hearts of those who truly knew him, shall be told and retold, a tale of a life richly lived. Thus, we commend John Edward Stone III to the ages, his flight now bound for the undying lands, where perhaps he shall take his place amongst the stars, a pilot navigating the celestial realms with joyous abandon.

A private goodbye will be held at Harrell Funeral Homes.

His family has requested donations, in lieu of flowers, to be sent to Christopher House-Austin Hospice--located at 2820 E. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Austin, TX 78702.