Ronald Lee Stone

As we mourn his passing, we take comfort in knowing that Ronald Stone has been reunited with his brother and best friend, Douglas Stone. Though many years have passed since death separated the brothers, time never diminished the place Douglas held in Ron’s life. Now, after all those years apart, the bond they shared is whole again. Ron is also reunited with his mother, Anna Mae Stone, and his father, Garnett “Bud” Stone.

Known to his friends as “Hoolie” and to his family as Ron, he was an easygoing, independent spirit who lived life on his own terms. Resourceful and endlessly inventive, he had a knack for turning an idea into something real, usually finding his own unconventional way of getting there. Give Ron an idea and the tools to work with, and there was no telling what he might come up with.

Ron also seemed to understand something that many people spend their entire lives trying to learn: how to be content with where he was and enjoy the moment he was in. He didn’t need much to feel like he had enough. If wealth were measured in contentment, good times, and meaningful moments, as perhaps it should be, Ron amassed a fortune: the rare kind that can be carried onward while still being left behind in the memories of those who shared his journey. Those fortunate enough to have been part of his life are richer for having known him.

Ron spent years making his living as a timberman, earning respect for his skill and precision in felling trees. His ability to put a tree exactly where he wanted it was a talent that served him well throughout his career and made him a popular man to call when a family member had a tree that needed to come down.

His creativity extended far beyond his work. Ron was a talented woodworker and builder who could take an idea in his head and find a way to make it real. He was also a dedicated horticulturist with a particular talent for helping things grow, a passion that brought smiles and more than a few laughs to more people than most will ever know.

In his later years, Ron’s sister Donna was a caring source of support, helping him get to appointments and being there when he needed her. She remained by her brother’s side at the end, alongside his wife, Regina, and his son, Ronnie. Surrounded by people who loved him, with “Free Bird” playing in the background, Ron peacefully took his final breath on October 15, 2026.

Those left to cherish his memory include his loving wife, Regina Stone; his children, Ronnie Stone, Niki Simmons, Hunter Lineberry, and Mason Lineberry; his sister, Donna Stone; and his brother, Clinton Stone.

Ron is also survived by his niece, Amanda Stone, and her children, Sarah and Austin; his nephew, James Stone, who held a special place in his life, James’s wife, Kimberly Stone, and their children, Garrett and Kaitlyn; his nephew, Guy Smith; and his nephew, Billy Hall. He is also remembered by Hunter’s wife, Lindsay Lineberry; Mason’s wife, Talitha Lineberry; his brothers-in-law, Doc Hall and Tim Hall, with whom Ron also shared a close friendship; along with extended family and many friends.

In addition to Douglas and his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Emma and Clinton Largen, and his parents-in-law, Mason Odell Hall and Peggy Lou Hall.

The people who shared Ron’s journey walked alongside him for different lengths of time. Some for decades, some for only a few years; some knew him closely, while others loved him from a little farther away. Each carries their own memories of him, their own stories, and their own little piece of the life he lived.

Ron will be remembered for his creativity, his ingenuity, his easygoing nature, and the countless stories that could only belong to him. Those stories may be the greatest inheritance he leaves behind: a fortune of memories, laughter, and moments now carried forward by the people whose lives crossed his own.

And somewhere beyond this life, we like to think Hoolie has found his way to Heaven’s own Laid Back Manor, where the company is good, the music never stops, and nobody is in much of a hurry to get anywhere.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE

2:00 p.m. • October 25, 2026

Worrell Cemetery

Off Pilgrim Trail Road • Dugspur, Virginia