Ray Stone Jr.

1932 - 2016

Ray Stone, Jr., founder of Ray Stone Incorporated, passed away after a brief illness on December 31, 2016, surrounded by family, to whom he was devoted. Born March 15, 1932, Ray moved to Sacramento in his teens. He met Mary Lou Follis through his sister, Georgia, and the couple wed in 1955. Ray often said that his top priority was to spend time with his three children and their families. In letters to his grandchildren, he noted that he began working when he was eight years old, selling magazines door-to-door in San Francisco, where he was born and raised. He also cited cutting lawns, making taffy, pumping gas, delivering mail, loading trucks, short order cooking, loading Christmas turkeys in railroad cars, "hashing" at his fraternity, and cleaning and painting houses in Berkeley, before deciding that he wanted a different life. He worked at Anderson Brothers Pharmacy to put himself through Sacramento Junior College before completing his B.S. in real estate at the University of California, Berkeley, of which he was a devoted fan. While serving in the Counter Intelligence Corps in Germany, Ray mailed home payments to purchase his first property in Fair Oaks, CA, which he developed into the Almond Orchard Shopping Center. In 1969, he founded the real estate investment firm that now owns and manages commercial, multifamily and senior community properties in California, Texas and New Mexico. He also formed multiple partnerships with Hank Fisher. In a 1995 business profile, Ray said, "You can make more money faster on bare land than any other kind, but you can also lose it faster. I like to sleep at night." Known for his honesty and integrity, Ray not only earned the loyalty of many investors, but established a company with committed employees. His son, Todd, is company president, and his son, Michael, serves as vice president of the firm's commercial division. He served as co-chair of the U.C. Berkeley Chancellor's Committee, and president of the following organizations: the Sutter Club, the Crocker Art Museum Foundation, the Wine & Food Society of Sacramento-San Joaquin, both the California and Sacramento Apartment Associations, and the Institute of Real Estate Management Sacramento. In addition to being vice president of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, he was a director or trustee of the Crocker Art Museum, the California Real Estate Association, the California Housing Council, the U.C. Berkeley Foundation, Rotary Club of Arden-Arcade, and the Sacramento Board of REALTORS. He also enjoyed being a member of Downtown Rotary, the Del Paso Country Club and the Comstock Club. Ray was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed tennis, fly fishing, scuba diving, and duck hunting. He will be missed by: his wife, Mary Lou; Todd and his wife, Betsy, and Michael and his wife, M'Lisse, all of Sacramento; his daughter, Mary Katherine Wemer and her husband, Ken, of Orinda; his sister, Georgia Stone Thorsland, of Kristiansand, Norway, and her husband, Aanen; his grandchildren Madeline, Thomas, Anna, Benjamin, Jacob and Grace; and his nephew Arne and nieces Ingrid, Marie and Siri, and their families. A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, January 7, at 11 a.m. at the Jesuit High School chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Jesuit High School or the Crocker Art Museum.