Beatrice Stone

Beatrice Stoddard Stone passed away quietly March 14, 2010, at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho. She was blessed to live a full and active life of 89 years.

Mom was born November 12, 1920, in Parker, Idaho, to Leslie Marion and Olive Luciel Ingram Stoddard. She was the fourth of 10 children. Mom and her siblings remained close throughout their lives. As the years passed, they stayed in touch, caring and wondering what was going on with one another. Beatrice grew up in the Parker /Egin bench area attending Heman and Parker Elementary School. She often rode her horse to school. She graduated from South Fremont High School in St. Anthony.

In Mom's youth, she loved the outdoors. She spent hours riding her horse and playing outside with her siblings. She was taught by her parents at a young age to work. She pulled weeds, shocked grain, bunched and stacked hay, as well as cared for the family animals. As a young adult, she worked outside of her home for different families, often living with them, cleaning their homes, tending their children along with other responsibilities, such as ironing. Mom also worked at Stan's, which was to become the Cougar Den located next to Chiz's in St. Anthony. This was an exciting job for her, because Stan's was the teenage hangout.

Beatrice married her high school sweetheart, Jack Anthony Stone, on December 29, 1939, in Egin, Idaho. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple on January 24, 1947. Dad died July 12, 2001. Mom has missed him every day since.

Beatrice was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as a Sunday school teacher, in the Young Women and in the Stake Primary. Later, she served with her husband, Jack, in the Stake Single Adults program and at the JCC in St. Anthony.

Mom and Dad lived in various places but called St. Anthony home, where they raised their six daughters. There, they established their business, now known as Stone's Town and Country Motors, located in Rexburg, Idaho. True to Mom's commitment to work, she worked along-side Dad to make Stone's a prosperous business still in operation today. You would always find Mom right beside Dad, her sweetheart. Together they served as Grand Marshalls of the July 24 Parade in St. Anthony.

Mom had many talents, she was a wonderful seamstress, sewing many dresses for her six daughters. She was also an excellent cook, often cooking the wild meat Dad brought home. But Mom's favorite pastime was tending her beautiful flower gardens and growing the best raspberries around. We all loved to receive a bottle of Grandma Beaz huckleberry /raspberry jam. Being side by side with Dad, she loved traveling, hauling their trailer and boat to Henry's Lake and staying at Wild Rose Ranch. In the winters, they traveled to Mesa, Arizona, enjoying the warm weather. Mom had a great love for her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. She was always interested in everyone's activities and continued to worry about us all. She was our Grandma Snazzy or Grandma Beaz.

Beatrice is survived by her six daughters, Mae Luciel (Vern) Hixon of Boise, Jacquelyn (Ray) Loveland of Rexburg, Jarice (Gordon) Halsted of Boise, Lesli Beatrice (Steve) Mortensen of Idaho Falls, Stephanie (Allan) Packer of St. Anthony and Celinda (Jeff) Winters of Meridian. She is also survived by her siblings, Marion (Blanche) Stoddard of Egin, Vae Mace of Parker, Harold (Norma) Stoddard of Rexburg, Frank (Donna) Stoddard of Grace, Louis Stoddard of Egin and Phyllis (Ray) Bradshaw of Menan; 27 children call her grandma. She was also blessed with 83 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. Mom was an example of faith, endurance and hard work. We appreciate her love and service to us all. Mom will be missed.

Mom was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years; two sisters, Vida Crapo and Marie Hathaway; a brother, Maurice Stoddard; a grandson, Jack D. Winters; and a great-granddaughter, Lauren Nicole Bell.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, March 19, at the St. Anthony LDS Stake Center, with Bishop Kyle Moore officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at the Stake Center and again from 10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Friday prior to the services. Burial will be in Parker Cemetery under the direction of Bert Flamm Mortuary.

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