Richard Wayne Stone

Richard Wayne Stone died in the very early hours of March 15, 2024 following surgery to remove his gallbladder, age 76.

Richard, or “Butch” as he was called by many who knew him from his younger years, was born on November 16, 1947. He grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where his mother was a nurse and (mostly) single mother to him and his older sisters, Jean and Nita. Some of his favorite times in his younger years were spent with his sister Jean’s family. He spoke fondly of riding Tote Gotes (a small, motorized dirt bike) with his nephew Randy, who was close to his age.

Figuring that war in Vietnam would be better than life in Pueblo, he quit school at age 17 and joined the Navy. He enjoyed the Navy and the travel it provided, and he was proud of his service.

After the Navy, he returned to Colorado and attempted to find lasting work in Denver. Although he did not find his career there, he did find the love of his life, Bonita Stone, who he met at a party. At that party, Bonnie saw him set another girl’s hair on fire when Richard lit her cigarette, and the girl’s heavily hairsprayed hair combusted. “That’s the man for me,” she thought. They were married on August 22, 1970.

Richard’s nephew, Randy, had started working for the Houston Fire Department, and the opportunity arose for Richard to work there, too. So Richard and Bonnie moved to Houston, Texas in 1971. Richard liked to tell stories of the old firefighting days, when it was “cool” to not wear your oxygen tank and mask into a fire, then come out and smoke a cigarette.

Richard and Bonnie had their first child, Jeremy, in 1972, and their second, Sean, in 1977. They didn’t live in the best neighborhood in Houston, and when 4-year-old Jeremy began setting fire to things with his friends, they decided that moving to a small town would be a better place to raise a family. So they moved to Alvin, Texas, in 1978.

Richard and Bonnie’s third child, Sandy, was born in Alvin in 1980. It was also during this time that Richard switched from fire suppression to inspection with the Houston Fire Department. Richard inspected businesses to make sure that they were compliant with the fire code. Part of his job was to approve any pyrotechnics for concerts and events, which his children thought was super cool.

Richard always had extra jobs while in the fire department, and in the 1980s, Richard took classes to become a peace officer. He maintained his license by working at small rural police departments, which allowed him to work security at stores, direct traffic, and other similar side jobs while still maintaining his career in the Houston Fire Department.

In 1991, he retired from the Houston Fire Department and began working full time as a police officer, eventually in Danbury, Texas, where the family moved in 1994. Richard and Bonnie loved living in Danbury and made many friends there. Richard then began working for the police department in nearby Angleton. He worked there for about ten years, retiring in 2009.

Richard became very involved in the Danbury community. He served on the school trustee board and became the Danbury Police Chief after his retirement from Angleton Police Department. He then served as the Mayor of Danbury from 2014 to 2018. He was also a proud Freemason and member of the Danbury Lodge 1432.

Richard and Bonnie spent their recent retirement years in an RV, sometimes going on camping trips around Texas or Colorado with family and friends, but mostly following their grandchildren.

Over the course of his life, Richard enjoyed many things: camping, hunting, fishing, boating, target practice, attending sporting events, playing cards, and watching movies. One thing that many might not know is that he was a talented singer. In the 1970s and 1980s, he would sometimes play acoustic guitar and sing at family gatherings. Most of all, Richard enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He loved his children and grandchildren immensely and was so proud of them. He would go to every grandchild event that he could – birthdays, sports, gymnastics, concerts – often driving a few hours to do so.

Richard is survived by: his wife of fifty-three years, Bonita Stone; son Jeremy Stone and his wife, Sarah Strickler Stone, and their son, Theodore Stone, of Houston, TX; son Sean Stone, and his wife, Carla Stone, and their daughter Sophia Stone, of Spring, TX; and daughter Sandra Morgan, and her partner, Scott Ophof, and her sons, Travis Morgan, Jacob Morgan, and Cole Morgan, and her grandson, Xavier Morgan, of Danbury, TX.

A memorial for Richard will be held on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at Palms Funeral Home, 2300 E Mulberry St, Angleton, TX 77515, with a reception to follow at the Danbury Community Center, 6067 5th St, Danbury, TX 77534.