- Date Of Birth: May 30, 1948
- Date Of Death: January 27, 2017
- State: Texas
May 30, 1948 – January 27, 2017
James Richard “Rich” Stone, age 68, of Boerne, Texas, went to be with Jesus on January 27, 2017. Rich was born in Houston, Texas, on May 30, 1948, the son of James Lonnie Stone and Janet Ruth Knipp. While still a toddler, Rich’s family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he grew up, graduating in 1967 from Mary Carroll High School. Soon after graduation Rich entered the United States Navy. He trained as an air traffic controller and served aboard the aircraft carrier USS America, travelling around the world, including Vietnam. After his Navy years Rich worked as a civilian air traffic controller in Corpus Christi, moving to San Antonio and beginning work at the San Antonio International Airport tower in 1979. In April of the following year, Rich met the love of his life and soul mate, Nancy Ann Elsworth, and four months later, on August 16, 1980, they were married. Rich also worked for a period of time in manufacturing: at Bausch & Lomb, Advanced Micro Devices, and Sony. He then returned to his love of air traffic controlling, working at Stinson airport tower, until he retired in April of 2013.
Rich was a 32nd Degree Mason. He enjoyed golfing, playing acoustic guitar, country-western dancing, and flying remote control airplanes with the Boerne Area Model Society. Rich loved the Lord Jesus and frequently attended a local men’s Bible study.
Rich is survived by his wife, Nancy Ann Elsworth Stone; his mother-in-law Edna Elsworth of Boerne, Texas; sister Constance Stone of Corpus Christi, Texas; brother Jeffrey Stone of Corpus Christi, Texas; sisters and brothers-in-law Linda and Archie Klein of Fredericksburg, Texas; Lorraine and Nathan Kott of Fredericksburg, Texas; nieces and nephews Victoria and John Rhodes and their daughter Danaye of Paris, Texas; Leslie Quintanilla and Joshua Mosher of Austin, Texas; Jessica Quintanilla of San Antonio, Texas; Jacob Stone of Corpus Christi, Texas; Tricia and David Hotchkiss and their daughters Hailey, Hannah and Hope, of Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Troy Klein of Fredericksburg, Texas; and his beloved sun conure parrot “Scooter.” Rich is preceded in death by his parents. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.
