Mr. Joe R. Stone

July 12, 1939 - August 30, 2017

Senior Chief Petty Officer Joe Ray Stone, Sr., U.S. Navy (Retired), 78, passed away Wednesday, August, 30, 2017 at home in Cocoa, FL. Senior Chief Stone served our nation for 20 years before his retirement in 1977. He served in the Atlantic theater during the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War. He was forwardly deployed for much of his career. He was a Machinist Mate for most of his Naval career with a secondary specialty of Career Counselor. Joe was born in Greenville, SC and lived there until he enlisted in the Navy at age 17. After retiring from the Navy; Senior Chief Stone went to work at the Navy Yard and later Metro Machine in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. He was married to Gladys for approximately 25 years. The marriage ended in a difficult divorce. Gladys was the mother of Joe’s children Marie Voliva and Joe R. Stone, Jr.. He married his second wife, Marina, in 1989, bringing her daughter Tonya into the marriage. He remained married to her until his passing. She was the light of his life and truly his soulmate. They created a wonderful life together! He is survived by his 3 children, Marie Voliva (Peanut) of Madison, WI, JR Stone, Jr. (Angie) Stone of Edgerton, WI, and Tonya Campos (Leandro) of Cocoa, FL. He has 7 grandchildren Bobby (Nicole) of Deerfield, WI, Megan (Brandon) of Madison, WI, and Daniel (Amy) of Marshall, WI, Ashley of Watertown NY (serving on active duty in the Army), Spencer of Edgerton, WI, Jayden and Dereck of Cocoa, FL and 3 great grandchildren, Ava, Ella and Kyle. He is also survived by two sisters, Myrtle Stockton (Frank) of Simpsonville, SC and Evelyn Miller of Greenville, SC. From some of his family: JR says his Dad was a fair man. He had a knack for looking at both sides of the story and taking all into consideration. Don’t mistake that for him not having his own opinions though! He was known to be a bit stubborn. He may have passed that trait on to other people he loved. He was also a proud man. He never wanted to rely on anyone else and he did things his way. At the same time, he was quick to help when needed, was always able to give sound advice and truly wanted those he loved to be happy. Things I remember most is that he was always kind to me and had time to chat. He was never in a hurry and I think that may be due to him growing up in the south where things are slower than in the north! While I have that thought about his growing up, he also had a few things to tease me about. He couldn’t get over the fact that Edgerton has one stop light, a paper that is delivered only once per week and that Wisconsin has 2 seasons…Winter and the 4th of July! He never let me live any of these things down! Marie says her Dad was one of the most patient men you would ever meet. He was a fair and compassionate man. Dad was very hard working. When he was not out to sea, he would have a second job. He worked as a diesel mechanic for Preston Trucking for many years. He wanted to give my brother JR, and I the best life he could. He coached Little League Baseball for many years, and stayed involved after coaching to help make the complex one of the best in the State of Virginia. I remember when I started driving. Any time my car needed something done to it, he would take me out to help him. He always tried to make sure, if needed, I could take care of myself. He taught me to be independent and stand up for myself. To this day those lessons have made me the strong independent woman, I am. He was not my biological father, but no one would have ever known that. Life never plays out the way you think it will, but I knew he loved me. He had the opportunity to impact two families in his life, and he did it wonderfully. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know his 3 children were honored to call him Dad. Tonya shares that Joe-Joe was the epitome of a father. Joe-Joe helped me no matter how much the odds were against me, he believed in me when nobody else did. He fought for me and stood up for me. He taught me how to be strong. When things got tough, he was always the voice of reason, the calm the family needed. He stepped up to be my Dad when he had no obligation to do so and he loved me like I was his blood. I will always be Joe-Joe’s “Squirt”. May he rest peacefully for eternity. Granddaughter Ashley, who is currently serving in the US Army as a Captain, shares that her “Papa Joe” loved his country and was proud of his service to it. He made it a point to make a trip to Wisconsin to give Ashley her “First Salute” as an Officer, during her Army commissioning ceremony. He even bought a new uniform complete with all his ribbons to wear for this special occasion. This meant the world to Ashley and the military will always provide a bond between her and her PaPa Joe. Grandson Spencer, shares that he too had a special bond with his Papa Joe. While deciding what to do for schooling and his career, he was looking at several options. He settled on machining. He was shocked when he learned that his grandfather spent his entire Navy career in the engine room of a ship machining. Maybe, in addition to stubbornness, machining was another gift he passed on. Spencer loved chatting with Papa Joe and loved that he made a special trip to his high school graduation. Grandson Jayden is 9 years old. Joe-Joe was with him from the day he was born and was the apple of his eye while they both lived in Florida. They spent countless hours building things, talking, watching NASCAR and throwing baseballs all the while giving Jayden pointers. Jayden spent several nights a week with Joe-Joe and MiMi and was Joe-Joe’s BFF he says. Jayden will miss Joe-Joe and the knuckle bumps tremendously. Joe-Joe was proud that he was able to have some influence in Jayden’s life. Grandson Dereck, 6 months old was learning his Joe-Joe and would give endless smiles when Joe-Joe made his silly faces. Dereck would have grown up to love Joe-Joe just as much as we all have. His memory will not be forgotten and Dereck will know his Joe-Joe in all his glory. Lastly, Marina’s words to Joe-Joe. Thank you for giving me the best years of our lives, it was an honor to be your wife. We always talked, never had an argument and always kept it real, even through the hard stuff like this. Soar with the angels, Honey. God called a wonderful man back home. I’ll love you until we see each other again. You will forever be with me in my heart. I tried to make you live forever, but I couldn’t do it…you were right again. God knows you deserve a medal for putting up with me for the last 30 years. “They” said we wouldn’t last, but the song says, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”. You deserve the best, breathe free and soar. I love you! Services will be held at a later date.