Wilbur Fisk Stone

Wilbur Fisk Stone, 87, of Aurora, passed away March 31, 2015. He was born March 17, 1928, in Denver, Colorado, the son of Sidney and Norma (Dickey) Stone. He was a graduate of Denver North High School and attended the University of Colorado.

Wilbur is survived by his two daughters, Kimberley Stone Johnson and Konnelle Lynnette Stone; two grandchildren, Channing Fisk Johnson and Angelise Lorraine Johnson. He is preceded in death by his parents and his six siblings. His remains will be interred at Fort Logan Cemetery, 4400 West Kenyon Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80236 at 2:30 pm on Friday, April 24th. A memorial service will take place at the LDS Chapel at 11100 East Alameda Avenue, Aurora, Colorado 80012 on Saturday, April 25, at 11 am.

Wilbur was recuperating at Cherry Creek Nursing Center from recent surgeries when he passed suddenly from an apparent heart attack. He will be dearly missed by his family. He was the last of seven siblings raised during the Great Depression in Denver.

He was a master raconteur, possessed of a remarkable memory, a keen eye for detail and a wickedly comedic sense of the absurd. His animated recounting of his childhood adventures delighted and entertained his 6 siblings as well as the subsequent generation of 17 daughters, nieces and nephews. His youth spanned a time of far greater freedom and far fewer belongings and amusements than what we are used to now in 2015. He grew up in North Denver in a modest and frugal household. His father, Sidney Stone, was a credit manager for the Denver Dry Goods Company. His mother, Norma Stone, was a stay-at-home mother until she was widowed in her early 50's. She entered the workforce with a secretarial job for the Colorado State Government.

It wasn't easy to make ends meet and provide for a large family during the Great Depression. One story that stuck with Will's daughters is how he saved up money from a paper route to pay for his own tonsillectomy at age 15. The bill for that surgical procedure in those days came to $35.

He graduated from Denver North high school, class of 1946, with a plan to go to college. He was drafted into the post-World War II Army Air Forces. He served from 1946 to 1949 working primarily in an Army Airways Communications Systems squadron (1920th AASC). He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was awarded a Good Conduct Medal.

After his discharge from the military in '49, he began working part-time at Sweeney's Electrical Service and he attended the University of Colorado. He stopped just short of a degree in electrical engineering to begin a family. He married Shirley Lorraine Spute in 1954 and began his career with IBM. He left IBM and started working for Honeywell Inc. in 1959 installing, testing and calibrating industrial instruments. He and Shirley divorced in 1962. He met Bonita Bayanne Hatfield in 1966. They married in 1969 and divorced in 1975.

That same year he started his own business - Summit Mechanical Systems. In '81 he partnered up with his nephew, Mark Stone, and they changed the name of the company to Summit Energy Systems. Mark and Will worked together for about three years selling and installing some of the first energy saving devices in town. When Mark started his family, he went to work for one of their suppliers. Will was in business for himself for about 30 years before going into semi-retirement around 2005.

His special interests were square dancing and photography. For a time he had a photography studio and worked part-time as a wedding and fashion photographer. In the '80s he met Marione Brown at a dance studio they both attended. They were companions for many years and remained lifelong friends until her passing a couple of years ago. Will was an animal lover who enjoyed feeding wild birds and caring for stray cats. Max, a long-haired, yellow-and-white striped stray, became a beloved pet for many years.

Although he was raised by devout Christian Scientist parents, he was agnostic and had more of a humanist perspective. Will felt strongly about social issues and current events. He was a private person, reserved in his emotions, but socially he was quite "a kidder and a tease". He was the kind of guy who went to the same barber for 40 years, always had a good word for his neighbors and always helped out family.

Wilbur was proud of his Colorado heritage and that he came from a frontier family. He was also proud of his illustrious grandfather and namesake, Wilbur Fisk Stone Sr., the renowned Colorado jurist who, in addition to being a prominent member of the Society of Colorado Pioneers, presided over the settling of the historic Spanish Land Grants of 1891.

Will's life took place during a time of great societal change and technological advancement. He was always interested in learning new things and understanding his rapidly changing world. He was a dutiful and devoted son, a supportive brother, a wonderfully playful, fun uncle; a loving, responsible and attentive father and a proud, involved and generous grandfather. He leaves behind many good memories, two adoring daughters and a close family who will miss him dearly. He was truly one of a kind.

To share a memory of Wilbur or leave a special condolence message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.