Jean Louise Stone

Jean Louise Stone (née Sanders) died on April 14, 2025, at age 88, in Great Falls, Montana, in the presence of loved ones.

Jean grew up on the western plains of Sharon Springs, Kansas. Her parents, Ruth and Kermit Sanders, owned a dry goods store catering to local farmers and townspeople. It was in Sharon Springs that Jean's appreciation for small town life and the prairie took hold.

Singing and music were Jean’s lifelong pleasures, and it was a joy to hear her. Her twin brother, Jack Sanders, and younger brother, Don Sanders, were both musicians, as was her father.

Jean married her high school sweetheart, Ralph Stone, in 1954, and they had two daughters, Michelle and Theresa. They spent their early years as a family in Oxford, Ohio before moving to Springfield, Illinois in 1970. In Springfield, Jean co-managed Spoon River Co-op, a cooperative bookstore and important community hub. She used her creative talents in craft and singing groups and threw legendary Christmas parties.

Jean earned an RN degree and worked in public health at the Springfield Health Department, and then at the University of Montana's Curry Health Center where she made many friends.

In 1990, Jean and Ralph moved to Missoula, Montana, where they subsequently divorced. She later moved to the Bitterroot Valley town of Hamilton, Montana, to join her partner Don Vander Kley, who passed away in 2019.

Jean loved the Montana mountains as much as the Kansas prairies. She spent much of her time enjoying nature, which she often explored with a group of like-minded hikers. She was instrumental in establishing a Missoula wetland. She also volunteered at a Hamilton arts gallery where she sold her beautiful handmade jewelry.

In her final years, Jean met William Woodhouse of Power, Montana. They loved to travel and shared many a good time with the extended Woodhouse clan. Bill was with Jean at the end of her life.

Throughout her life, Jean supported social justice and conservation causes. One week before her death, she took part in a protest rally.

Jean is survived by her daughters, Michelle Stone (Greg Reising) and Theresa Stone (Jennifer Wills); grandson, Nathan Reising; sisters-in-law, Rose Ann Sanders and Susan Sanders; and nieces and a nephew. She was predeceased by her parents, Kermit and Ruth Sanders; and her brothers, Jack Sanders and Don Sanders.

Burial will be at a later date at the White Rock Cemetery near Dighton, Kansas.

She will be forever in our hearts.