Ed, nicknamed “Lucky“, was an outstanding student-athlete who graduated from P.S. DuPont High School, Wilmington, Delaware, in 1966. Lucky earned three varsity letters in basketball and was a three-year starter on a stellar team.
Lucky loved music and sang second bass in the P.S. DuPont choir. He also sang in the choir at St. Matthews Episcopal Church and played the bass instrument in the band. He was selected to the All-City Band his senior year.
Lucky truly had a wide range of interests. Lucky was extremely proficient in the German language throughout his high school years. In his spare time, Lucky became a seasoned astronomer. He educated all comers to an adventure into space from his bedroom window, by looking into his cherished telescope.
In 1966, Lucky became the first African American student from Delaware to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. His appointment was made possible through the encouragement of Senator William V. Roth. He attended the Academy for one year. He eventually obtained his bachelor’s degree in business from Bernard Baruch College of The City University of New York. While in New York, Ed drove a cab as a means of support and to satisfy a desire to learn the streets of the five boroughs.
Lucky worked for the DuPont company from 1973 to 1998, rising to the rank of Marketing Manager. Additionally, his department duties took him to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he resided for six years.
Always the smooth renaissance man, Lucky owned a 42-foot sailboat for 11 years. He sailed the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands, and southern Florida, fulfilling a desire of his to sail the high seas since his days at the Naval Academy. He ultimately moored his boat in Baltimore and lived on it for five years. Lucky later moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He made Colorado Springs his home for the past 25 years.
To describe Lucky, the words “Endless Curiosity” must be used. His mind craved new information. Oftentimes, he would spend hours researching a topic that piqued his interest. He once completed a Pharmacy Technology certificate…just for fun. This was the mind of Lucky, Edward D. Stone, III. It craved new information and, as one may have concluded, he aced all modules.
Lucky was a lifelong member of Saint Matthew’s (now S.A.M.) Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware.
He was the son of the late Bernice B. Stone and the late Edward D. Stone, II, as well as the sibling of the late Linda Stone Williams.
He is survived by his sister, Susan Stone, (New York); best friend, Alton Williams; neighbors, Cary and Katie Katalin; neighbor, Dennis Lewis; cousin, Lawrence Gurley (Edna); nephew, David Gurley (Claritza); cousin, Judy Lyons; lifetime friend, Martina Gardner Woods, and a host of friends, classmates, basketball teammates and Kingswood and Prices Run Park “Sportsmen”.
Updated: May 31, 2023
Curator: Ed Moore