In Memoriam: John Patrick Stone
June 10, 1921 to March 18, 2020
A true American hero and member of The Greatest Generation is gone.
John Patrick Stone, an infantry unit commander in the Marine Corps who experienced heavy combat during World War II, passed away quietly under hospice care March 18 in his Avondale home at the age of 99. Stone had the distinction of being born in his home in Ashtabula, Ohio, and dying in his home in Jacksonville, said his son, Frank Stone.
Although he rarely talked about it, Stone led the last infantry company formed by the Marines during the war. His outfit was engaged in heavy combat in Okinawa and suffered the greatest number of casualties of any regiment in Marine Corps history, with 75% of his men killed or wounded. He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, the Bronze Star for heroism, was entitled to wear the Combat “V” Ribbon, and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, along with numerous other medals and campaign ribbons. He was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, an award he finally received years later in the 1990s.
“On Okinawa, when he was in combat, a mortar shell landed right next to him, but he was lucky because it didn’t explode,” said his son, Frank. “However, some of the coral from the island broke off and he was injured in the ear. They put him in a field hospital and gave him penicillin for three days before shipping him back to the front lines. Years later, Dad was in the grocery store and ran into someone who had served with him. The man asked him if he had ever gotten a Purple Heart for that injury,” Frank continued. “Dad didn’t care about things like that, although he did have several medals. But the guy got in touch with Rep. Tillie Fowler who put it all in motion. Dad ended up getting the Purple Heart sometime in the 1990s, and it was one of the few times I saw Dad break down and cry,” he said, noting the medal was bestowed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville with more than 100 Marines in attendance. “Seeing all the young Marines in their dress uniforms made him think about all the young men who died in his platoon.”
As the leader of his unit, Stone kept a notebook in battle where he jotted down information about his fellow soldiers, especially details about how they were injured or killed. He would then send letters to their families,” said his son, Mark. Years later, a trunk filled with his wartime correspondence was found, and Stone donated it to The Institute on World War II and The Human Experience in Tallahassee. His correspondence at the museum was later discovered by the producers of NBC’s Dateline television program “The Greatest Generation Lives On,” and he was selected as one of three WWII veterans featured by Tom Brokaw on June 17, 2001.
A native of Ohio, Stone graduated from Georgetown University, and it was in Washington D.C. that he met his wife of more than 60 years, the former Alva Tupper Heintz of Avondale, who predeceased him in 2011. After his college graduation, he nearly became a Secret Service agent, but when that fell through, he went to work for a furniture company in Philadelphia and later another store in Maryland, where he began selling carpet. When the company was closed suddenly by the Internal Revenue Service, Stone assisted collection agencies in collecting on the bad debt. Later he and his family moved to Jacksonville.
The founder of Carpet Concepts, Inc. in Avondale, Stone got his start at Dubard’s Carpets in 1952. He later separated from his partner at Dubard’s and established his own first store at 210 West Forsyth Street in 1966. Later he had a carpet store in the Buckman Ulmer and Mitchell Building before moving his establishment to Avondale. He also opened a store in Regency. He retired from the carpet business in 1965, and he and his wife bought a summer home in Western North Carolina, which they enjoyed for many years. “After he retired, he would walk from his home to our store on Herschel Street every day until he was in his 80s,” said Mark, noting it was at least a three-mile trek roundtrip.
Stone was very philanthropic with his time, said Frank. He was one of the original members of the WJXT board of directors, a board member of the Child Guidance and Speech Correction Clinic, and a board member of the Boys Service Council, which later was named Big Brothers. He had a big heart when it came to fatherless children, and in 1970, he was designated Big Brother of the Year for Duval County.
Because his father had been an itinerant farmer in Ohio and his mother had died when he was very young, Stone, who was one of nine children, was raised by his older siblings, said Frank. “I think he was trying to fill the void he had when he was growing up. I can remember him bringing some of the children he mentored to our house. Years later, people would come into our store as adults and tell us how much it meant to them that Dad had mentored them in their lives.”
Stone also served several terms as president of the Jacksonville Executive Association. For over 10 years he was the moderator for the Great Books Foundation and was recognized for seven years of service by the Duval County Public Library. “When I went to join a local business group, he told me ‘Don’t go in there halfway. Get in there and get involved,’” said Frank.
He was also a longstanding member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Riverside and an avid tennis player who played at Boone Park for over 50 years, only quitting the game when he turned 90 years old.
“I played tennis with John on weekends at Boone Park for many, many years,” wrote Ronald Cohen in Stone’s online guest book. “John never made a bad line call. He was always upbeat, and there never was a disagreement. It was a real honor to be one of his tennis buddies.”
Survivors include Stone’s six children, John P. Stone Jr., Alva Theresa Stone of Tallahassee, William T. Stone (Janan), Frank H. Stone (Eva), Christopher P. Stone (Nita) and Mark A. Stone (Carlisle). He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
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