Meredith Jane Stone

Meredith Jane Kraftson Stone passed away peacefully after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Meredith was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on September 3, 1946, to Harry and Elisabeth Kraftson. The oldest girl in what became a family of five-two boys and three girls-Meredith enjoyed singing Gilbert and Sullivan music (to the annoyance of her eldest brother), playing board games, and getting into daring adventures. She attended Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, graduating salutatorian in 1964. At Wheaton College in Illinois, she began her studies as a literature major. But it was in a science class, Invertebrate Paleontology, that she became curious as to who could have possibly scored higher than she on the exam. It was, in fact, Ralph, and their friendship began. After a geology field trip to the Grand Canyon, they started dating. Meredith later changed her major to geology and graduated cum laude in 1968. Meredith and Ralph were married on August 10, 1968, at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

The newlyweds moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Ralph obtained his master's degree. While there, Meredith taught Earth Science at rural McFarland High School and edited Ralph's master's thesis. Ralph's first job took them to Norman, Oklahoma, where they lived for a brief time. Meredith returned home to Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and lived with her parents when Ralph began Army active-duty training. Their first son, Timothy, was born in Philadelphia in 1971. Over the next seven years, Meredith and Ralph moved to three more states as Ralph followed his career in oil and gas exploration. In each state, a new child was born: Laurel in Oklahoma City, Joshua in Denver, and Nathaniel in Tomball, Texas. When the family of six moved to Louisiana in 1982, there were jokes that a new child would arrive, but the number was set. After four years in New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana, it was back to the Philadelphia area for a year, then to Houston once again. Meredith approached each move as an adventure to be discovered.

Meredith loved competition. As a child she enjoyed countless games of Careers and Monopoly, converting the $1 bills to $10,000 bills so they could have more money. In adulthood she played tennis in a local tennis league and with friends, delivering a crushing serve. Even when Alzheimer's began to overtake her and she could not remember which side to stand on, her serve was still wickedly fast. Bridge parties, Mahjong, 1980s video games, board games, family reunion four square or ping pong,

Meredith loved to play. . . and win. Her nieces and nephews recall her wit, her laughter, her tenacity, not only in games, but in life.

Meredith was a planner and a creator. After years of camping trips to national parks all over the country, in the early 2000's she switched to bicycle trips in France, planning nine different trips lasting two to three weeks each. Her creativity showed most in her sewing, especially quilting. She designed quilts for her four children, family members, and many, many babies. She excelled in selecting intriguing color combinations and patterns, quilting with precision and attention to detail. She quilted and sewed in several states and three countries.

In 2003, Meredith and Ralph began the first of three overseas work assignments. They spent a total of eight years in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Warsaw, Poland; and London, England. Meredith dedicated herself to learning about her new places of residence and all they had to offer. Visits from friends and family were yet another chance to explore the area.

Meredith was a servant of Jesus Christ who delighted in studying the Bible and sharing what she learned. She opened others' eyes to the grand stories of God at work through God's people, culminating in the life of Christ and our resurrection hope. She taught adult education classes and Bible studies, taking great care with developing curriculum and materials that brought together culture, close reading, and examination of literary features of the text. She loved making connections to the text and between texts and wanted others to engage and wrestle with scripture as well. Her favorite passages to study were those that brought the unexpected to light: Jacob wrestling with God and asking for (and receiving) a blessing; a grieving widow (Naomi) and a stranger (Ruth) forming an unbreakable bond; the genealogy of Jesus full of women from the sidelines. Her curiosity never abated, nor was she satisfied with easy answers, especially after her eldest son died by suicide in 2007. Through those tortuous months and years of wrestling, she clung as tightly to Jesus as Jacob to his opponent, with full confidence in the Resurrection, yet limping with the weight of her loss.

Her roles at churches are too numerous to count, ranging from playing the piano and singing in the choir, to creating a newcomer assimilation program, and serving on the parochial church council. She especially enjoyed singing the Anglican evensong in London with the church's chamber choir. Informally, she also thrived when connecting people, be it for Sunday dinners, holidays, Bible studies, or mentoring young women. She was a seeker of truth and a counselor to pastors and did not shy away from challenging hypocrisy. Friends of all ages recall her genuine kindness, her vivaciousness, her mentorship, her presence, and her smile that lit up the room.

It was in London and during visits at home to the U.S. that Meredith's memory concerns became more and more apparent. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016. Meredith announced early on that she was "living with it," getting involved in activities through the Alzheimer's Association, most notably a choir for the memory-impaired community called Together in Voice.

From March of 2020, Meredith required round-the-clock care and in August entered hospice care at home. Over the next five years, she received wonderful attention from a cadre of care assistants and of course, her devoted husband, Ralph.

Meredith is lovingly remembered by Ralph, her husband of 57 years; daughter Laurel (John Stevens); son Joshua (Mary Bissada); son Nathaniel (Emily Roberts); daughter-in-law Kristen; grandchildren, Elisabeth Stevens, Henry Stevens, Timothy Stone, Charlotte Stone, Lucy Stone, and Charlie Stone; brother Timothy (Sat) Kraftson; sisters Constance (Glenn) McDowell, Claudia (Dennis) Brice; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Meredith is preceded in death by her son Timothy Edward Stone, parents Elisabeth and Harry Kraftson, and brother Raymond Kraftson.

A memorial service will be held at the Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, on Friday, January 9th at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Church of St. John the Divine (sjd.org) or World Relief (worldrelief.org).