Heber “Bud” Stone, Jr. of Temple Terrace, Florida died June 13th, 2019. Bud was born on February 29th, 1944 to Frances Mae (Carden) and Heber Stone in Jacksonville. He was raised from an early age by his mother and stepfather, Buford Carlton Snell, in Leesburg. He graduated from Leesburg High School in 1962, lettering in basketball and baseball. Buddy earned his B.A. in 1967 from the University of South Florida and was a proud member of the Sigma Nu national fraternity.
Bud served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict where he flew on the famed F-4 Phantom jet in fighter squadron VF-31 aboard the USS Saratoga. Upon his return from Vietnam, Bud remained in the Navy Reserve retiring with the rank of Commander. He also enrolled at Georgia Tech earning a Master of Architecture and spending the next 25 years designing schools and hospitals.
Bud was preceded in death by his father, mother & stepfather. Survivors include his loving and devoted wife Jennifer Lee (Russell) Stone; sons Eric Heber (Kimberly) Stone and Andrew Ward (Jodi) Stone; sisters, Linda Myers, Carole (Frank) Waller; and four grandchildren James, Satcher, Ansley and Gabriel. In addition, many nieces & nephews, and numerous extended family members remember him with great fondness.
Bud had a love for golf and enjoyed travel immensely. His recent travels took him internationally, but his favorite destinations were visiting his grandchildren. He loved to root for his favorite alma maters, and though his health began to fail over the past year, his mind and wit remained sharp, often entertaining visitors with past stories or events of the day.
There will be a celebration of Bud’s life on June 29, 2019 from 2-4pm at USF Gibbons Alumni Center. All are welcome and encouraged to bring their favorite stories to share and toast. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the USF Foundation’s Drive Veteran Success fund (in memory of Heber “Buddy” Stone, Jr.) at the following website: https://giving.usf.edu/gifts-help/drive-veteran-success Buddy was excited for the upcoming project at USF - the Veteran’s Building and Military Museum for which ground will be broken in two years.
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