Claudine Stone

Claudine Stone, beloved wife, adored mother, sister, friend, laid her burden down on August 19, 2018, and went to find her perfect place where the thermostat is always set at 60 degrees and the days are all even numbers.

Those of us who loved and admired Claudine are confident that she's found her much-deserved sanctuary but she left behind a world that is poorer for the loss of her honesty, her wit, her discipline, and her fierce love of family that knew no bounds.

Claudine was born into a military family, the third daughter of Charlotte and L.H. Shipp. In the way of Army life, in childhood she moved frequently, learning early how to adapt to new places, make friends and, when the day inevitably came, to move again and start over. She attended a tiny two-room school up the road from her grandfather's house in the Maryland mountains, an elementary school on an Army base in Germany, an historical school district in the suburbs near Washington D.C., and a rock country school house in East Texas built by the depression-era Works Project Administration before the family ultimately settled in Killeen where she graduated from Killeen High School in 1967.

After two years at Central Texas College, she started her professional work life that spanned careers in retail sales, commercial banking, childcare, and at Sealed Air Cryovac. When friends and family reminisce about Claudine they often mention her high energy and stamina. It seemed as if she could accomplish four hours worth of work in two.

Claudine had moved to Wichita Falls in 1978 and, after a life of picking up and starting over, she had finally made a permanent home here. It was here too that she met and fell in love with her Texas truelove, T.H. Stone. Their 30-year marriage was a perfect pairing of her spitfire spirit with his calm cowboy charm.

He was her "baby doll" one of two primary loves in her life. The other was "squirt" aka Charlotte Clayton. Her love was fierce and deep and selfless. She made sure they, and everyone else, were keenly aware of her commitment and loyalty to her family. She filled them up with love and support. Her nurturing way made clear how deep her affection was. Her favorite thing to do was to make them laugh. In fact, her favorite thing period was to make her friends and family (and even strangers) laugh.

She always made time for her garden. Although she was practical and no-nonsense in her business affairs, it was common to see her whisper to an ailing plant, encouraging it to stand up tall and straight. It must have worked because no matter how hot and dry it got in the summer she managed to coax flowers to flourish.

It wasn't just plants that benefited from her pep talks. Her family and friends could count on her as a shoulder to cry on and a friend to offer advice and encouragement, whether or not solicited. One lifelong friend remembers long talks with Claudine when she was growing up. What set Claudine apart from other adults was her willingness to talk about any topic, taboo or sensitive, or risky, with a genuine honesty. "She was opinionated, funny, authentic, wise, and comfortable and I learned so much that stuck with me," her friend remembers.

Her sister, Brenda, remembers Claudine's resilience and support during the 25-hour hospital vigil awaiting the birth of Brenda's granddaughter, Isabella. Claudine was full of comfort, encouragement and humor and was the first to cradle the newborn.

During her years at Dillard's Department Store Claudine was recognized multiple times for her high sales volumes and was singled out by corporate staff development officers for interviews. They wanted to know what she did and how she did it so they could train new employees on her sales techniques. She answered their questions but in the end they learned that what she was able to accomplish was difficult to teach because it was essentially her astute intellect and ability to connect with people that made her a success.

One client relationship was life changing. Claudine became friends with her client, Valarie Clayton of Frederick, OK. As she was prone to do, Claudine often talked proudly about her daughter, Charlotte, then attending the University of Texas in Austin. Valarie's son, Mikeal, was finishing law school at UT. The more the two women shared stories, the more Claudine and Valarie became convinced that their children would make a perfect match. To placate their encouraging mothers, Mikeal and Charlotte agreed to meet. They were married four years later in Washington D.C.

After retirement, Claudine rekindled her love of travel by taking cruises with her sister, Brenda, and traveling with her sister, Pat. One of their favorite destinations was Maui, Hawaii, where the blue water and Pacific Ocean breeze was a perfect antidote to the summer heat and frequent drought of Wichita Falls. All Pat had to do was call and Claudine would pack a bag and join her. Pat died six years ago. We like to think that the two of them will once again find a sandy beach where together they can catch a wave and a cool breeze.

Claudine was preceded in death by her parents, Charlotte Grace Shipp and L.H. Shipp of Killeen, TX and a sister, Patricia Mae Hewitt of Toluca Lake, CA.

She is survived by her husband, T.H. Stone of Wichita Falls, TX; her daughter, Charlotte Clayton and her son-in-law Mikeal Clayton of Oklahoma City, OK; her step-daughter and her partner, Debbie Stone and Rena Marson of McKinney, TX; her step-son and his wife, Randy Stone and Charlette of Wichita Falls, TX; two sisters, Dixie Evatt of Austin, TX and Brenda Buck of Harker Heights, TX; a nephew, Todd Daniel Hewitt of Tallahassee, FL; two nieces, Rebecca Palmisano of Harker Heights, TX and Jennifer Love Hewitt of Los Angeles, CA; three step-grandsons, Jon Stone and Greg Barnes of Wichita Falls, TX and Aaron Stone of Michigan; and two aunts, Hilda Valencia of Bethlehem, PA and Elva R. Schultz of Frederick, MD.

Visitation will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 22, 2018, at the Hampton Vaughan Crestview Funeral Home, 1917 Archer City Highway, Wichita Falls, 76302. Services will be at 1 p.m., Thursday, August 23, 2018, at the funeral home with a reception to follow. Private interment is scheduled at the Dundee Cemetery at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 25, 2018.