Adele Adams Stones

1931 - 2022

Our mother, Adele Adams Stones passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 7, 2022, at home surrounded by her children and grandchildren with the support of Tidewell hospice .

Our mother was born to Francis R. and Vincenta P. Adams in Bronxville, N.Y. on September 23, 1931. She graduated from Bronxville High School in 1948, attended Georgetown Visitation and married Charles W. Stones, Jr. in 1951. They divorced in 1968.

With nine young children and her parents in tow, our mom moved the family from Chappaqua N.Y. to Plantation, Florida. While working and raising her family, mom attended night school to earn a bachelor's degree at Nova University followed by a master's degree in Social Work at Barry College in Miami. She was employed as a clinical social worker with Broward Health Systems until she retired in 1990 and relocated to Venice, Florida.

When mom retired she resumed her love affair with tennis, which she played as often as possible ( usually after daily Mass) until her 86th year. When not on the court, mom was active as a volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul , served on the parish counsel at Epiphany Cathedral and later as eucharistic minister at St. Thomas More. She was an enthusiastic bridge player and traveled abroad frequently with her church group serving as a tour organizer. She and daughter Cindy learned to fish, purchased a boat together and spent several years promoting angling as a woman's sport.

Mom's proudest role was as mother of 9, grandmother to 13 grandchildren and great grandmother to 7 great grandchildren (three more on the way). She crisscrossed the state and the country attending multiple high school and college graduations, weddings, births and baptisms. Her townhome on W. Venice Avenue was an open house for her family, and many a grandchild spent spring and summer break with Grammy sifting the sand on Venice Beach looking for sharks' teeth and collecting buckets of shells which were toted home religiously and put in jars for display.

In our mother's final years she was cared for by our youngest brother James, along with our sisters Cindy and Sue who made it possible for mom to remain at home until her death. To them, we are so grateful.

She is survived by her children Charles W. Stones III (Laura), Robert F. Stones (Michael Aakhus), Sharon Stones (Dr. Paul Zorsky), Adele Virginia Stones (Jeffrey Cardenas), Cynthia Stones (Marvin Ehrlich), Helen V. Stones, Susan Rees (Craig), Christopher A. Stones, James V. Stones. She leaves 13 grandchildren, Charles W. Stones IV (Laura), Justin Stones, Joshua Zorsky (April), Ryan Zorsky, Noah Zorsky (Sarah), Lillian S. Cardenas, Nicholas Ehrlich (Lindsey Johnson), Thomas S. Hubbard, David Williams (Mary), Grace Williams, Dennis Rees (Britney Sizemore) Christopher Stones, Savannah Stones. Great grandchildren Eloise, George and Rose Zorsky, Samantha and Logan Stones, Mackenzie and Thomas Hubbard. Her brother Francis R. Adams (Rita) survives her along with their children Beth Ann, Frank and William and a cousin Angela Knauss (Robert). Adele will be especially missed by her "10th child" Harry Rozelle and her daughter by marriage, Julia Lawn Stones. Mom's 25 lb cat "Big Boy" will miss her greatly. Our mother was predeceased by her parents and former husband.

It was our mother's direction that she be cremated and her ashes placed in Mary's Garden at St. Thomas More in Sarasota. A memorial mass is tentatively scheduled to take place at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice Florida on August 4th at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers it is requested that donations be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society c/o Epiphany Cathedral or to St Francis Animal Rescue of Venice (sfarvenice@gmail.com).

Our mother loved her God, her family and her church. Honor her memory by serving others.