Robert Elmer Stone passed away June 22 at A. B. Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, of cardiac failure. He was 66 years old.
Robbie was born June 17, 1954 and raised in Owensboro. As a youth, he was a Boy Scout and attended the National Jamboree in Idaho in 1969. He graduated from OHS in 1972 where he was active in Rose Curtain Players. He attended Eastern Kentucky University and later graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He enjoyed singing and acting, participating in Act II and his church choir.
More recently he enjoyed annual trips to the Indianapolis 500 and he became a Kentucky Colonel. He was a charter member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and worked diligently on fundraisers for their many philanthropies.
As an early AIDS survivor, he was instrumental on the Governor’s Advisory Council working with others nationally and across Kentucky establishing confidential testing centers and providing safety information. Since it’s inception, for the past eleven years he has been the leading fundraiser for the annual Aids Walk to provide holiday assistance to members of the AIDS community. In his honor the Owensboro AIDS Walk will be renamed the Robbie Stone Memorial AIDS Walk.
Robbie was an animal lover. You may remember him from his pet store in Towne Square Mall where the 18 foot python was a noted attraction. That snake was sold and returned many times! He and his pet parrot Sweetie Pie entertained many children and adults alike at performances in nursery schools and senior centers.
Robbie has been an active church member all his life. Raised in the Evangelical church which became the United Church of Christ, he was instrumental in establishing New Hope Fellowship as an all inclusive UCC church. They later merged with Journey Fellowship to establish the current Unity Fellowship. All three of these fellowships were deeply impacted by his leadership.
Robbie’s parents were Norma Jean and Roy Stone of Owensboro. He is survived by his sister Sharon (Richard) Clements of Cadiz, Ky., his nephew Casey (Lucinda) Clements and his three nieces, Oronoco, MN, and many loving cousins.
He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. We would like to thank the staff of the Cardiac ICU at the Chandler Hospital for their outstanding efforts and care.
In keeping with public health and safety directives, there will not be services for Robbie. His cremated remains will be entombed at Owensboro Memorial Gardens next to his longtime partner, Nick Sauer who passed away in 2012. Care by Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory.