Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Stone, Orin 1959 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net September 30, 2014, 10:20 pm Ionia Daily Sentinel Standard, 15 May 1959 Orin Stone Dies In Hospital Ionia’s oldest funeral director, in age and point of service to the community, Orin Stone, 86, died Thursday evening at the Ionia County Memorial hospital. He had been a patient there only two days. Besides being a funeral director he had engaged in the furniture business and was active in church and lodge work during his many years as a resident of Ionia. He was also one of the oldest graduates of the Ionia high school. He was born September 23, 1872 on a farm in Ionia township near Muir, the son of Silas and Lorana Stone. He attended the Muir school through the tenth grade and in the fall of 1889 his family moved to Ionia so he could attend the Ionia high school. Following his graduation in 1892 he went to work in his brother-in-law’s dry goods store on Main Street he was employed there until the store was sold in 1898. In his spare time during those years he was organist for Sunday services at the Michigan Reformatory. In 1901, with his brother-in-law, Will Peer, he formed a partnership in the dry goods business. The business was sold in 1905 and he formed a furniture and undertaking concerned with Walter Winchell. The partnership existed until 1929 when Mr. Winchell died. Following the death of Mr. Winchell, Dale Kauffman, son-in-law of Mr. Stone entered the business and in 1948 became sole owner. Since that time Mr. Stone has remained in an advisory capacity. He was married in 1903 to Blanche M. Hoy of Johnsonburg, N.Y. who died in 1948. He was a member of the First Christian church and its predecessor the Church of Christ for 69 years. He served the congregation as clerk, deacon, trustee and organist. He was a life member of the Ionia Lodge No. 36, F & A M, Chapter and Commandery. He served the chapter as treasurer many years and was in the same capacity with the Commandery for 30 years. Although of a quiet and unassuming nature he served [unreadable] many capacities. During [unreadable] time he was honored many [unreadable] for work well done. The most recent occasion was in 1958 when he was honored by the Michigan Funeral Directors Association as a 50-year member. He was licensed as an embalmer for 51 years. In 1950 he was honored at a testimonial dinner by his church for 60 years of service. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Dale Kauffman; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The body will be at Stone-Kauffman funeral home until noon Monday. Funeral service will be conducted from First Christian church Monday afternoon at 2:30. The Rev. Floyd Emshwiller will officiate and burial will be in Highland Park cemetery. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/s/stone28747nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 3.2 Kb