George Eliot Stone

George Eliot Stone, 85, of Spartanburg, SC and LaAnna, PA died peacefully on December 8, 2019. Born October 10, 1934, George was a native of Philadelphia, PA and a son of the late James and Betty Kays Stone. George graduated from The Episcopal Academy and was a graduate of Harvard College, class of 1956.  While at Harvard he was an editor of The Harvard Lampoon. After a brief career in banking, George moved from Boston to Spartanburg in 1965 with his wife, Sissy. He worked in the textile industry for eighteen years and was president of Jackson Mills from 1983 to 1997 when he retired. George proudly served as president of the S.C. Textile Manufacturers Association as well as on the boards of Converse College, The S.C. Humanities Council, and the Salvation Army. George loved his family, his country, nature and the outdoors, the Pocono Mountains, Julia Child, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a gardener, a beekeeper, and an avid upland bird hunter who had many faithful four-legged friends in the field. When there was a hatch on the stream, he was the first to wet a line. “Grandpa George” enjoyed picking wild blueberries with his grandchildren in the summertime and nothing pleased him more than preparing delicious meals for loved ones. George was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, SC and the LaAnna United Methodist Church in LaAnna, PA. He was also a member of the Piedmont Club in Spartanburg. George is survived by his three children, Ruth Gray Stone Ripley and her husband, Clements, of Sarasota, FL and Charleston, SC, Lucy Hull Stone of Buck Hill Falls, PA, and Eliot Stone and his wife, Michel, of Spartanburg, SC; six grandchildren, Charlotte Rosemary Cusano and Emma Harper Cusano both of NYC, NY, Louis Caporale Cusano of Denver, CO, Mary Eliot Stone, Elizabeth Finley Stone, and William George Stone, all of Spartanburg, SC; one sister, Mary Stone Phipps and her husband, Howard, of Old Westbury, Long Island, NY. George was predeceased by his sister, Jane Stone Pratt; and his wife of fifty-three years, Sissy. The family deeply appreciates the compassionate care given by Jeffrie Berline and the staffs of All About Care and Comfort Keepers. Special thanks go to Bobby Willis, John Gregorski, and S’Ann Boyce. The family will be receiving friends at the home of Eliot & Michel Stone beginning Wednesday at 4:00PM. A memorial service to celebrate George’s life will be held on Thursday, December 12th, 2:00PM at The Episcopal Church of the Advent. A reception will follow. Inurnment will be private in the Cloister Columbarium, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent. In remembrance of George, memorials may be made to the Episcopal Church of the Advent Foundation, 141 Advent Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302; LaAnna United Methodist Church, P O Box 142, Newfoundland, PA 18445, or Converse College, Office of Philanthropy, 580 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29302