Jimmy Stone might not have known what he wanted to do after his final year of school, but he was sure of one thing: when he wasn’t getting married.
“A few years ago, he couldn’t believe his cousin was getting married on the day of the NFL draft,” Stone’s mother Regina Stone said. “He said, ‘Why would anyone pick that day to get married?’”
Stone, of O’Fallon, died May 18 after sustaining injuries in an automobile accident in St. Peters.
He was preparing to enter his senior year at MU as an agricultural systems management major. His mother said he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do after he graduated.
No matter what he did though, Stone’s mother is confident he would have continued to be selfless. She said he was extremely caring.
“His sister remembers every year when we would ask what they wanted for Christmas, Jimmy would always say, ‘Mom, I don’t want anything. I have everything I need. Just donate my presents to a kid in need,’” she said. “And one year, we did do that for Jimmy.”
Friends and family alike remember Stone for his ability to hold long discussions and debates about pretty much anything.
“We would argue for hours about everything from football to religion,” said Dan Meier, a close friend and student at Southeast Missouri State University. “I would always lose because he had facts or stats to back up everything.”
That was a true testament to his intelligence, his mother said. A member of the dean’s list every year, Stone enjoyed reading and learning. He liked to listen to music, play videos games and draw. Still, he found time to make people laugh.
“Jimmy was the smartest and funniest person I have ever met,” Meier said.
His mother said she loved his sense of humor and he loved to make her laugh.
But if he had one true love, it might have been football. Stone lived for football, his mother said. He loved everything about it – from fantasy football to throwing a ball around with friends.
“He loved the whole game,” Regina Stone said. “He knew the stats, players – everything. Jimmy loved playing backyard football with his buddies.”
An avid St. Louis Rams fan, Stone was in attendance at the Rams’ first game in St. Louis at Busch Stadium as well as at the Rams’ first conference championship. His name is included on the Wall of Fame at the Edward Jones Dome because he was one of the original permanent seat license owners.
Stone is survived by his mother Regina, his father Jesse and his sister Tori. A service was held in his honor May 22 at Stygar Funeral Home in St. Charles.