Jonathan E. Stone

Jonathan E. Stone, 78, of Bloomfield, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Jonathan was born in Hartford on February 24, 1947. He was the second son of the late Percy Douglas and Lillian (Bartosiak) Stone. Growing up, he attended Saints Cyril and Methodius Church and school and was a part of one of South Catholic High School's first graduating classes. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1969 as an accomplished member of their Glee Club. Jonathan began his career as a teacher in upstate New York, but didn't care for the cold temperature and regular 6 feet of snow. After taking the State of CT Employee Examination, he began a 30-year career in the Employee Services Department, where he retired as the Enfield branch's Office Manager. Jonathan's lifelong passions were always music and horticulture. His exposure to music through Holy Cross's Glee Club blossomed into a 52-year membership with Hartford Chorale. His time with the Chorale included years of memorable performances and several concert tours in Europe. When he wasn't singing, Jonathan was digging. He was a life member of the North American Rock Garden Society for 4 decades, an active member of the American Rhododendron Society, and was active in various other horticultural groups. The love and care he put into his own personal garden, with over 300 types of rhododendrons, earned him the Rhododendron Society of Connecticut's Gustav A. L. Mehlquist Award. Jonathan's love for music and nature took him to the Berkshires and Tanglewood, where he enjoyed many decades of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing in a beautiful natural setting. Jonathan is survived by his aunt Beverly Bartosiak of Wethersfield; siblings Ronald Stone and his wife Kathy of El Paso, TX, David Stone and his wife Valerie Smith of South Windsor, and Janet Stone and her husband Michael Selissen of Manchester. He also leaves his nieces Sarah and husband Gerardo, Jessica and husband Jamie, Laurel, and nephew Ethan; his great-niece Teresa and great-nephews Javier, Santiago, and Everett, and many cousins and a special family friend, Barbara Gawle. He is survived by his beloved partner of 51 years, Thomas Flanigan. Jonathan was predeceased by his parents and his half-brother Richard Stone. Friends and relatives are invited to call on Jonathan's family on Friday, September 5, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Road, Wethersfield. A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Jonathan's life will take place on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 10:30 am in the Church of the Incarnation of Christ the King Parish, 544 Prospect Street, Wethersfield. All attendees are asked to go directly to church. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jonathan's memory to the Hartford Chorale at https://hartfordchorale.org/support/ or by mail to 233 Pearl Street, #17 Hartford, CT 06103, Hartford Hospital's Transplant Department at https://giving.hartfordhospital.org/donate/ or by mail to Hartford Hospital, Department of Philanthropy, 80 Seymour Street, P.O. Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102, or to the charity of your choice. For more information, or to leave a condolence, please visit FarleySullivan.com. Jonathan's warm and gentle smile and kindness will continue to be an inspiration to his family, his friends, and his many plants.