Thomas E. Stone

Carrollton - Tom Stone, a local civic leader and computer expert, died suddenly Monday morning at his home in Carrollton. He was 54 years old.
Mr. Stone was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 13, 1952, to the late Martha Lewis Stone and William Hinton Stone, Sr.
Survivors include his wife, Kathleen Rafael Stone; his daughter, Christy Stone Kent and her husband SFC Marcus Kent, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; his son, Eddie Stone, of Atlanta; his step-children Kristin and John Childers, of Germantown, Maryland, Drs. Caitlin and Chris Clark, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Jonathan D. Songey, of Austin, Texas; his step-grandchildren, Jacob Gerald Clark and Sarah Aileen Clark; his brothers, William Hinton Stone, Jr. and his wife Vivian, of Fayetteville, Robert J. Stone, Sr. and his wife Tish, of Carrollton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was a 1970 graduate of Hapeville High School in Hapeville, Georgia, where he was the Band Captain of the first Georgia public high school band to march in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. He was also a 1974 graduate of the University of Georgia, where he was the first non-music degreed Drum Major of the Marching Redcoat Band.
Upon graduation from the University of Georgia he went to work for Systems & Methods, Inc., where he was employed until his untimely death. There he held several positions including Developer and Systems Designer, Human Resources Administrator, and Business Development Research Analyst. He also represented SMI as a faculty member at Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking in Baton Rouge. He was instrumental in facilitating the national growth of SMI through his services in several SMI state satellite offices. At the time of his death, he was Assistant Vice-President and a member of the Board of Directors of SMI.
Mr. Stone was well known and active in the civic life of Carroll County, where he has been a member of the Carrollton Rotary Club, the Carrollton Sertoma Club, West Georgia Telecommunication Alliance, a Mentor of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce, a Muscular Dystrophy volunteer, a March of Dimes volunteer, and many other civic organizations but the Carrollton Jaycees was his favorite civic organization. In 1981, he was President of the Carrollton Jaycees. From there he became active on the national level and became National President of the United States JCI Senate in 1999.
As a volunteer, he was involved in the design and implementation of the first voter registration/jury selection data base for the Carroll County Board of Registrars. He continued to serve for many years as a paid volunteer computer consultant providing assistance to the Voter Registrarís Office.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, where he had been active in the choir and was a member of the Jubilate singing group.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 24, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church with Rev. Eddie Herren, Rev. Tommy Greer, and Mr. Bill Stone officiating. Burial will be at Carroll Memory Gardens.
Visitation will be held at Almonís Funeral Home Friday, February 23, 2007, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Pall bearers will be: Chris Pyles, David McKlin, Doug Vassey, Garry Kater, Frank Chapman, Carol Chapman. Honorary pall bearers will be SMI employees and Jaycee friends.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Thomas E. Stone Scholarship Fund, University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc., 1601 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30118.
Messages of condolences may be sent to the family at: www.almonfuneralhome.com.
Almon Funeral Home of Carrollton, Georgia has charge of arrangements.