Rose Hernandez Stone

Rose Marie Hernandez Stone, born June 7, 1944, in San Antonio passed away on May 12, 2023, in Houston. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Jesse and Lisa Ayala and her beloved grandchildren, Xavier Lionel and Jane Caroline Ayala of Klein, Texas. She is also survived by siblings Robert (Ruth), Gloria, Adolph (Diana), Lynda (Albert), Gilbert (Maria); numerous nieces and nephews; and her lifelong best friends Pauline Enriquez and Jovita Rugen.

She was preceded in death by only 284 days by her husband and partner of over 46 years, Enloe D. Stone (Stoney); parents, Adolfo and Beatrice Mercado Hernandez; siblings, Eloy, Sylvia, Edward, Jacob, and Rosalie; and nephew, Michael.

Ever a study in contrasts, Rose was a strong-willed, determined woman whose tough exterior belied a soft underbelly. From humble beginnings as the third of fourteen children, she retired after a long, successful career as a civil servant for the US Army and Air Force. A 1962 graduate of Sidney Lanier High School, she postponed her pursuit of higher education to raise her son Jesse, sacrificing to send him to Mount Sacred Heart’s first Montessori program and successfully guiding him through childhood illness to see him graduate from Fordham University School of Law in New York City.

She achieved her delayed-college dreams graduating from then-Incarnate Word College in 1988 when she and Stoney wed. With Stoney and her family and friends, she traveled the world satisfying her endless intellectual curiosity. She loved music, especially attending concerts and dances with family and friends, theater, art, and history. She was especially proud to learn, late in life, that we are descendants of San Antonio’s founding Canary Islanders.

The family would like to thank the staff of Brookdale Champion Oaks, Houston, and HCA Hospice Houston for their attentive, nurturing care.

A farewell to her earthly journey will be held at 10:00 AM, Thursday, June 1 at Porter Loring Mortuary 1101 McCullough Ave. Public Visitation is to begin at 9:00 AM with interment to follow at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery at 11:30 A.M.