Beth Walsh
I only met Jim a few times and am sad to hear of his passing. He seemed to be a caring man, very much committed to his family. Be at peace Mr Stoner. Your family loved you. Beth Walsh
Birth date: Sep 21, 1960 Death date: Jul 10, 2013
Jim Stoner, born September 21, 1960, passed away too soon on July 10, 2013 of a heart attack. Raised on a farm in Buchanan Michigan, Jim graduated from Graceland College in Lamoni Iowa where he met his future wife of 29 years DeAn Read Obituary
I only met Jim a few times and am sad to hear of his passing. He seemed to be a caring man, very much committed to his family. Be at peace Mr Stoner. Your family loved you. Beth Walsh
I just received a notice from Jayson Benanti about Jim’s passing. I am stunned. I first met Jim when Delaney and my daughter Rebecca were in fourth grade together and I encouraged Jim to help me coach the Wildcats. He was very enthusiastic and completely committed. We were blessed with a great group of girls and ultimately won the SMYSA championship (2001). Jim was a joy to coach with as he always came up with insights that were new and innovative (and effective, I should add!) and I’m sure I taught him a few things that helped him. It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge his passing. He will surely be missed by many!
Courtney: such wonderful comments about Jim. I just found out about his passing today (July 27). Jim & I coached the Wildcats in 2001; we had such a great time together. He was wonderful. And I remember you when you were on a team with my daughter Rebecca. Hope all is well with you! Tim Roehm
As mentioned by a few others, I was also coached by Jim. In my time playing for him on the Slammers, we went to St. Louis for Nationals. Like many of the other girls on the team, that week was one to remember. I’ll never forget blasting “Car Wash” any time we were in the team van. But my favorite thing about Coach Stoner was that he always believed in us. I can remember being up at bat, swinging at a bad pitch and turning to look down at the 3rd base box, dreading the reaction I was about to get. But every time he would point to his head and say with an encouraging smile, “good idea!” He always saw the positive no matter what we did. Although that doesn’t mean he didn’t demand a lot of us. As ten year olds, we learned a lot from Jim. I can remember running multiple laps even before practice had started. He had a vision and he knew how to get there, we just needed to put in the effort. The skills and lessons that I learned from Jim are things I still use today. He taught us that hard work, determination, and sacrifice would get us to where we wanted to go. But most importantly, he brought us together as a unit. Players, coaches, parents, siblings; we were all a part of the Slammers and we need to work together to achieve our goal. Overall, Jim was an amazing coach and played a crucial role in my growth as a softball player, but more importantly, as a person. My heart goes out to DeAnn, Delaney, Jordan, Luke and the rest of the Stoner family. Jim was wonderful person. He was cherished and will be missed by all who knew him.
Jim was always a comrade when a DeLong reunion took place. Us outlaws needed to stick together and he was a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed a good talk on politics, especially when a DeLong was in earshot! LOL. Thanks for the memories Jim and thanks for speaking to me through the song “The Other Side”. I’m glad we were able to party in Napa last October as it was a great time and a memory we will cherish!
I knew the Stoner family the whole time the kids were growing up. Jim was the cutest little boy ever! To this day I judge every little boy against little Jim. And he was so sweet too! Love M. Luzzy
I wish we lived closer together so we could have seen the Stoner family more. Jim was always my uncle–I can’t remember a family event without him. It was always him and DeAnn out playing with the cousins at grandma’s house. I’ll always remember his huge smile and how quick to laugh he was–he was always so full of life! Love to the Stoners! Thinking of you everyday…Love, Brigid
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this rough time… Fred Williams & family
Your dad was one of the best coaches I’ve ever had! He taught me everything I needed to know to grow as a player from the Lions all the way up to Aragon. He pushed me to be the best player that I could be and even helped to perfect my bunting skills. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend summer after summer with any other coach, even after all of the conditioning and fruit eating practices we had! Not only was he an amazing coach but he is an incredible person! He was always so personable and you could always count on him to make you laugh and put that smile on your face! Even though we haven’t been the closest lately, and I haven’t seen Jim since our senior prom, the memories and the love were always there! Your father (along with the helps of some others) created a little softball family and I am so grateful that I got to be apart of it! With Love, Drea
Just wanted to share a memory I had of your dad that always stayed with me. Every year on valentines day your Dad would hand deliver something special for Jordan, Delaney, and Luke at Curious Kids. He never forgot and that stayed with me. I told myself if I ever had kids, that I would copy what he did. It was so nice to see how much he loved his kids. He took the time to leave work go to the store I buy balloons and a stuffed animal then bring it to you guys and hug and kiss you. I’ve been teaching almost 20 years and no other parent has ever done that. That was a special moment that I remember about your Dad. He will truly be missed!!!! Vince Piña