From birth to death, we are all travelers.
Donald "Don" D. Stoner of Severance, Colorado peacefully passed away at home March 17, 2011. He was the last son born to Florence and Harold Stoner on August 21, 1935 at home on their farm on the northeastern plains near Akron, Colorado. It was there Don spent most of his young life rodeoing and fostering his passion for horses until his family moved to Richland, Washington in the mid-1940s. He attended junior and senior high school there and worked on numerous farms and orchards. He met his first wife, Mabel Alder, on a blind date through high school friends. They married in 1954, and in 1961 their daughter, Teena, was born.
Don worked for DuPont and General Electric at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Richland during the 1960s and for Boeing during the 1970s. While at Boeing he was one of thousands who produced the first Boeing 747. He moved to Colorado in the late '60s-early 1970s where he worked for Dow Chemical at Rocky Flats Nuclear facility. It was during this time in Colorado that he became reacquainted with his childhood sweetheart, Aladean (Myers) Holland. Don and Aladean married in June of 1973, blending her family of three boys and two girls with his one daughter. The family moved to Rocky Ford, Colorado where he returned to his roots and first love; farming. He also worked for the Rocky Ford water district and the Cheraw School District.
In 1996 Don and Aladean moved to Severance, Colorado where they semi-retired. She was a nurse at Fair Acres Manor in Greeley and he was a janitor at Sky View Elementary School in Windsor. Health concerns forced both of them to resign the professions they loved.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Florence; one brother, Virgil; first wife, Mae; and second wife and love of his life, Aladean. He is survived by a brother, Wyvern "Lee" Stoner; his daughter, Teena Stoner Giulio and husband, Monty, of West Richland, WA; his five stepchildren Larry Holland and wife, Charisse, of Reno, NV; David Holland of Council Bluffs, IW; Tom Holland of Glasgow, Scotland; Jeannie Rogers and husband, David, of Tulia, TX; Holly Jamison of Wichita, KS, numerous grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the Akron Cemetery, Akron, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Don's name to Pathways Hospice, 1580 Main St., Ste. 2, Windsor, Colorado, 80550 or Home Instead Senior Care, 3711 John F. Kennedy Pkwy., Ste. 317, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80525.
Don's family would like express their heartfelt appreciation to his personal physicians and their staff, Pathways Hospice and Home Instead Senior Care doctors, nurses, CNAs and caregivers for their kind and loving attention. Thank you so much for doing the difficult jobs you do.
May the Creator grant you peace, Daddy. Safe Journeys.