Gerald Dean Stone's Obituary
Gerald Dean Stone, a WWII Veteran and professional engineer, passed away on February 29, 2012. He lived at Greenpoint Senior Living in Liverpool, NY. He was born on April 19, 1921 to Hazel Mae and Ezra Dillon Stone in Canton, PA. Dad grew up on a farm and graduated in 1939 from Canton High School. He attended Williamsport Technical School to become a licensed radio operator.
In 1942, Dad joined the Navy and served throughout WWII as an airplane radio operator. He was stationed first in Miami, flying to the Caribbean and South America. Later, the Navy transferred him to Norfolk, VA and Patuxent River, MD, where he flew to North Africa, Iceland and England.
Gerry flew into Paris on V-E Day and he liked to reminisce about the crowds on the street in Paris being so delirious that he had to climb on top of a car to escape the throngs and was stranded there for two hours.
Near the end of the War in the Pacific, the Navy ordered him to the Pacific coast of Russia where a refueling base was being established, but his crew never made it. They arrived in Guam on the day that the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. They were ordered to turn around and head home. Gerry was discharged from the Navy just before Christmas 1945.
Subsequently he served in the Merchant Marines on a research vessel. Afterwards he worked for American Airlines as a radio operator at ground stations in both Bridgeport and Albany. After the war, Dad attended Capital Radio Engineering Institute in Washington, DC and worked at the Naval Research Laboratory.
Gerry married Sara Jane Fleming in 1948 and they started a family together. He began a career with General Electric in Cincinnati and transferred to Louisville, KY and then to Syracuse, NY. He worked for a year on a ballistic missile early warning system in Thule, Greenland and for a year in Port of Spain, Trinidad at a radio station monitoring missiles.
He returned to Syracuse for a short time before going to Daytona Beach, FL. to work with the burgeoning space program. He worked on the communication systems for the Gemini and Apollo programs. Although he never graduated from college, Gerry became a certified professional engineer when he passed the Florida Professional Engineering exam. When the space program slowed, GE transferred him back to Syracuse. Dad retired from GE after a 20 year career and returned to Florida.
He worked for Daytona Beach Community College and later for the Florida Department of Transportation in Tallahassee. Among the projects he helped design were numerous State roadside rest stops and Florida Welcome Centers.
In his later years, he moved to Liverpool, NY to be near his daughter, Deena. Dad loved spending his days at Liverpool Public Library reading and sometimes falling asleep in his favorite chair there. Gifts in his memory may be made to the Liverpool Public Library at 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool NY 13088. His love for learning never stopped. He spent his time at home reading the New York Times, his technical books and keeping up with politics. Even into his last days he enjoyed sending insightful emails to his family and friends about public policy, economics and how the world had changed in his nearly 91 years. His grandchildren came to know him very well through the frequent email exchanges about politics and philosophy.
Gerry is survived by three daughters, Deena (Peter) Procopio, Sandy (Steve) Silver and Adrienne Marquart; five grandchildren, David (Kristina) Silver, Ethan Silver, Derek Marquart, Adam Silver and Rachel Marquart; also a sister, Dolores Stone. Dad loved his family very much and was so proud of his five grandchildren.
Family and friends are welcome to attend a calling hour on Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm with a Memorial Service immediately following at 3:00 pm at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse, NY. Burial will be in Ogdensburg, PA.
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