OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

76 | FEBRUARY 15 • 2024 J
N

KENNETH 
ANDREW 
STONE, 75, of 
West Bloomfield 
and Jupiter, Fla., 
died suddenly and 
unexpectedly in his Florida 
home on Feb. 2, 2024.
He was born on May 2, 
1948, in Detroit, son of Ralph 
and Rosalyn (Bronstein) 
Stone. He lived for a short 
while in Oak Park and later 
most of his youthful years 
in the Sherwood Forest area 
of Detroit. Ken attended 
Henry Ford High School and 
later graduated from Eastern 
Michigan University with a 
degree in business adminis-
tration.
Kenneth devoted his entire 
53-year working career to 

the chemical manufacturing 
industry with Stone Soap 
Company Inc. of Sylvan Lake, 
a 92-year-old family business 
founded in 1932 by his father, 
Ralph Stone. For the last 40 
years he served as the compa-
ny’s president and CEO and 
was instrumental in building 
the business to be a recog-
nized leader in the car wash 
and specialty chemical indus-
try in the United States and 
worldwide.
Kenneth lived an active 
and fulfilled life. He loved to 
travel, was a prolific reader, 
enjoyed sporting events and 
treasured his time with fam-
ily. He loved being on the 
water: cruising around on 
his boat with family, friends 
and his dog and reading the 

newspaper on his balcony 
listening to the waves of the 
Atlantic Ocean crashing 
across the street. He was a 
longtime member of Tam-O-
Shanter Country Club in West 
Bloomfield.
He is survived by his 
wife of 53 years, Helen; 
children, Richard (fiancée 
Laura Pontarelli) Stone and 
Allison (Jason Weingust) 
Stone; grandchildren, Sydney 
Stone and Morgan Weingust; 
brothers and sisters-in-law, 
Jeffrey and Marianne Stone, 
and Steve and Jill Stone; 
sister-in-law and brother-in-
law, Kay and Robert Watkins 
Schwarzberg; nieces and 
nephews, Danielle Stone, 
Sarah Stone, Jon (Arielle) 
Stone, Kyle (Lauren) Stone, 

Isa Schwarzberg, and Abielle 
Schwarzberg.
Kenneth was the devoted 
son of the late Ralph and 
the late Rosalyn (Bronstein) 
Stone; dear son-in-law of 
the late Isak and late Tola 
Schwarzberg.
Contributions may be made 
to Alzheimer’s Association-
Greater Michigan Chapter, 
25200 Telegraph Road, Suite 
100, Southfield, MI 48033, alz.
org/gmc; American Diabetes 
Association-Local Chapter, 
20700 Civic Center Southfield, 
MI 48076, diabetes.org; 
or Zekelman Holocaust 
Center 28123 Orchard Lake 
Road, Farmington Hills, MI 
48334, holocaustcenter.org. 
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman 
Chapel.

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