Dr. Gregory Clayton Stonestreet

Dr. Gregory Clayton Stonestreet, 74, of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, passed away on November 10, 2026,

surrounded by his beloved family after a season of declining health.

Born on August 9, 1952, to Denzil and Elaine Stonestreet, the second of six children: Wayne, Greg, Dana,

Marilyn Gayle, Jan and David, Greg lived a full and joyful life—singing with his family, praying and singing

with his patients, loving his wife for 48 years, and serving and loving Jesus above all.

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He and his future wife, Anita Bowling, grew up a hop and a skip away from one another in their

hometown of Cross Lanes, two years apart at Nitro High School. Greg always remembered the day he

knew he would "marry that girl”—he saw her in ponytails, walking down the street leading her Girl Scout

troop to an area event. He was immediately smitten. He later asked her family if they wanted to come to

church with him, and Anita's mother, Frances, replied, "No, we can't go… but Anita can!”

The two sang together even before they started dating. Soon after, they shared their first kiss, one Anita

fondly remembers because, as she says, "I knew in that moment that he deeply cared for me.” They were

married on November 17, 1979.

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Growing up, Greg was an exceptional student with straight A's and was elected to Boys State. He played

Babe Ruth baseball, ran cross country, played football in junior high and basketball in high school and

college, and was a member of All County and All State Choirs.

Throughout his life, Greg often reminisced about his siblings and family, his love for his father, and the

full life he lived growing up, and often would bring up his travels with his brothers and father to New

York City in 1964 to attend the World’s Fair on Coney Island, where his father was commissioned by the

State of West Virginia to showcase WV arts and culture products.

He spent summers on the family land in Braxton County, WV, herding cattle, gathering eggs and working

in the garden, which formed his lifelong love for the land and being outdoors. Once, his dad asked him

and his brothers what crop they wanted to plant. They answered "popcorn," and the next year he had

the boys hoeing an acre garden.

He was an artist and musician and loved to play the guitar, tinker on the piano, and wrote poetry and

songs throughout his life. He treasured old hymns, spiritual songs and gospel music and led worship in

his early twenties. He also served as a youth minister in Castle Hane, NC, who originally prayed for him

and his ministry through music. In the 1970s, he was the only white member of a Black choir directed by

the renowned Ethel Caffie-Austin, and toured with them throughout southern West Virginia and beyond.

He also sang in the church choir that his wife, Anita, directed for 11 years at Perrow Presbyterian Church,

where he attended for over 60 years.

When he and Anita started a family, they sang their favorite song, Therefore They Shall Come (Jeremiah

31:12), to each of their children at birth. It was the beginning of a lifetime of memories, and in true

Sound of Music fashion, he lovingly named them The Stonestreet Family Singers, singing together for

people everywhere they went.

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Greg attended WV Institute of Technology in Montgomery, WV for his undergraduate degree and went

on to earn his doctorate in 1981 from WVU School of Medicine, later completing his residency in 1984 in

Family Medicine at Thomas Hospital before beginning his career practicing medicine in his hometown of

Cross Lanes.

While in college, Greg was filled with the Holy Spirit and read the book Surgery of the Soul by the

surgeon and founder of the Christian Medical Foundation, Dr. William Standish Reed, which inspired him

to pursue family medicine so he could serve the whole person in body, soul and spirit. He later met Dr.

Reed, who would become a life-long mentor and friend and who prayed for him and his wife to have

children after a season of difficulty. They later, by medical and divine healing, had four beautiful children

—Andrew, Lauren, Stephen and Caitlin—whom Greg loved with his whole heart.

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For 35 years, Greg served his patients diligently as a family physician and the proud owner of Cross Lanes

Family Practice, a small, privately owned practice serving the local community. Through his practice, his

rounds at area hospitals and home visits whenever requested, he provided quality and compassionate

care to thousands of patients.

Affectionately known as "the singing and praying doctor," he sang and prayed with his patients,

continuing his passion for music and ministering to the whole person. In Christian ministry, he sat under

the teachings of Corrie Ten Boom and David du Plessis, and his ministry at home was directly influenced

by the lives and ministries of Francis and Judith MacNutt, Dr. William Standish Reed, Kathryn Kuhlman,

Delores Winder, Mel Tari, Rev. Jack Dabney and others. His ministry was influenced by the charismatic

renewal of the 1970s, and he spoke and led music at several Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship

meetings. He also attended Camps Farthest Out (CFO) with his family each summer for over 30 years. He

was a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and a past chairman, speaker and longtime

leading member of The Healing Center at Orkney Springs, a Christian healing conference in the

Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where doctors, pastors and lay people come together to pray and minister

healing. He also loved serving and being part of the greater body of Christ across the Kanawha Valley and

beyond, serving area churches, organizations and ministries, and supporting mission efforts around the

world.

To him, health was not just about medicine, but about the whole person and the whole community—

spirit, soul and body—all of which he cared for with his whole heart and mind.

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He was kind and compassionate, and had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to laugh and found

great delight in the everyday life around him. Whether playing sports or bicycling with his children,

burning the brush pile, dancing with his wife or hearing a song and adding his ‘dancing feet’, waking his

kids up for sunrise walks, or making funny faces at the dinner table, he enjoyed every moment and kept

all of us ‘in stitches.’

To sum Greg up seems an impossible feat. He was a believing man, a beloved husband, a deeply loving,

wise and tender father, a caring doctor, and a servant-hearted, community-centered man. No matter

where he went, whether the grocery store, church, or on the street, people knew him and loved him for

his heart for people and his love for Jesus. He will be greatly missed and remembered for his service to

and love for humanity.

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He was preceded in death by his parents, Denzil and Elaine Stonestreet; his sister, Marilyn Gayle

Stonestreet; and his nephew, John Stonestreet.

He is survived by his dear wife, Anita Marlene Stonestreet; his four children, Andrew Gregory of

Portland, OR; Lauren Susanna and Stephen Clayton, both of Charleston; and Caitlin Rebecca of Nashville,

TN; his siblings, Wayne (Cindy), Dana (Jana), Jan (Mark) and David (Mireille); and many nieces and

nephews; dear friends and beloved community.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 2 pm at Living Hope Church

(formerly Perrow Presbyterian), with visitation from 12-2 pm.

The family is deeply grateful to everyone who has prayed and supported them during this time.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the GoFundMe established for medical and funeral

costs and to support his wife, Anita, at www.stonestreetfamily.com. Checks may be made payable to

Anita Stonestreet and mailed to PO Box 7092, Cross Lanes, WV 25356. Online condolences may be

shared at tylermountainfuneralhome.com.