A STONE OF REMEMBRANCE

(October 14, 1924 -- ELWOOD A. STONE -- March 19, 2019)

          Last Tuesday morning as the sun approached high noon, the spirit of one of God’s precious ones was transported to the heavenly realm to be welcomed into His eternal abode by our God of all grace.  Our dear brother in Christ, Elwood Stone, now belongs to the ages.  God loaned him to us for almost a century and his long life impacted us for good in so many ways.  In 1974, Stoney made a momentous decision to die with Christ in  baptism (Gal.2:20 and Rom.6:3) and he subsequently spent his last forty-five years joyfully living out his commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

          Our church family was greatly blessed by the arrival of Elwood & Alice Jean Stone in the late 90's.  Having moved to Cortland after living in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania for seven decades, they immediately integrated and plugged in with our congregation as they looked for ways to help build up the Lord’s church.  Elwood served as one of our beloved church shepherds for a number of years and periodically engaged in both teaching and preaching on Sundays.  He also taught select Bible studies for our midweek Bible group and monthly L.I.F.E. gatherings.  We have all been enriched by his knowledge of God’s word and we have all benefited by watching him walk the walk.  Elwood was an authentic disciple!

          Brother Stone drew you in with a broad smile and then charmed you with a sweet personality that made you want to be his friend for life. He was quite smart about many things - - especially things mechanical.  Yet despite his keen mind, Elwood had a refreshing humility about him, and this could be seen in his willingness to re-visit and re-think difficult Scriptures.  He was truly an inspiration in so many ways.  Happily, our journey through life is often strewn with one-of-a-kind people.  For us, Elwood shall forever be a choice Stone of remembrance (Joshua 4:7 and 1Pet.2:5).      

                                                                              Terry Siverd / Cortland Church Of Christ