Lt. Col. Robert Stone USAF RET.

Lt. Col. Robert Stone, USAF RET, passed away on Saturday, January 29, 2011. Services will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, February 5, 2011 at Connally/Compton Funeral Directors Chapel. Burial with military honors will follow in Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation with family and friends will be Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Robert was born on January 8, 1916 to Benjamin W. and Pearl Eliza Lee Stone in Ingram Texas. He attended high school and college in San Angelo and was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, where he met the love of his life, Louise Cleveland. They were married on June 1, 1941. Their marriage was a love affair lasting more than 66 years.

Robert went into the Army Air Corp as a cadet as soon as married men were accepted for service. Upon completion of flight training, he flew bombers for training bombardiers. By the time he was assigned overseas, he had over 1000 flying hours and, at the young age of 23, was called the “old man” because of it. He flew 52 missions, piloting B-24’s, dropping supplies, OSS people, ammunition and fuel behind enemy lines into what was then Yugoslavia and other locations supporting partisans. After the war, he flew the Berlin Airlift. He flew relief missions to ferry out troops and air evacuations of wounded during the Korean War. He served two tours in Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam War. He flew airlifts in Lebanon, the Belgian Congo and every major airlift involving the Military Airlift Command until he retired in 1973. Among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 7 Oak Leaf clusters and many more. These achievements were not all there was to the man. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle. After he retired, he and Louise went home to San Angelo and enjoyed their time boating and fishing, going to church and traveling to see their children. In February 2002, Robert and Louise moved to Waco to be close to their daughter and closer to their son. People who met Robert were impressed by his wry humor and loved to hear him tell stories of his time in the military. He was humble enough to imagine he was boring people but we could never hear enough of his experiences. He was living history and one of the last of the “Greatest Generation”.

Robert’s beloved Louise, his parents, 2 brothers and a sister preceded him in death.

He is survived by his daughter, Donna Sammon and husband, Bobby, of Waco; son, Michael Stone and wife, Brenda, of Buda; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Robert Sammon, Eric Sammon, Jeff Sammon, Keith Stone, Mark Penney and Lee Stone.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Ross Shipp for his years of care. Thanks also to the entire staff of Providence Hospital 3S and 3N for their help during Robert’s recent hospitalizations.