Obituary of Willard Earl Stone

Willard Earl “Bill” Stone, 93, passed away on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 28, 2024, in The Chapel at Griffin-Hillcrest Funeral Home, Ardmore, Okla., with Pastor Mark Gardner officiating. Interment to follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Ardmore. Bill was born to Willard Edgar Stone and Margaret Lucille (Brown) Stone at Perry, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1931. He graduated from Perry High School with the Class of 1950. Following high school, Bill went to work in the oil field and then entered the Army in 1952. Bill served in the Army from 1952 to 1954 where he served with the 65th Combat Engineer Battalion in Korea. In 1954, Bill married LaNell Kinard of Blackwell, Texas. Bill and LaNell had two daughters, Vicki, and Carla. Before settling down in Ardmore in 1968, they followed Bill’s work in the oil fields in Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma. Bill was a long-time member of Northwest Baptist Church of Ardmore where he served as a Deacon. As a veteran himself, Bill was dedicated to working with other veterans where he was involved in Sunday church services for the veterans living at the V.A. Center in Ardmore. Bill was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved spending time with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, supporting and encouraging them in their dance recitals, choir concerts, baseball games, and various other school events. In his free time, Bill enjoyed fishing and woodworking, and he spent as much time as he could on the lake. To his grandchildren and great grandchildren, he was known as “PaPa”, the man that could fix anything. They had a saying, “if PaPa can’t fix it, it can’t be fixed.” He was preceded in death by his dad, Willard, his mom, Margaret, his wife, LaNell, and his daughter, Vicki. Bill is survived by his daughter, Carla Edwards and husband, Tommy, grandchildren, Megan Hightower and husband, Justin, and John Edwards and wife, Alexandra, great- grandchildren: Vanis Hightower, Amelia Hightower, Hattie Hightower, Evangeline Edwards, Thelma Edwards, Lawrence Edwards, and Rosanna Edwards. Serving as pallbearers will be nephews, Keith Kinard and Wesley Kinard, grandson, John Edwards, grandson-in-law, Justin Hightower, great-grandson, Vanis Hightower, great-nephews, Jeff Kinard and Seth Kinard, and great-nephew-in-law, Brandon Whisonant. A visitation for friends and family will be held on Friday evening, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, December 27, 2024, at Griffin-Hillcrest, Ardmore.