Larry Stones

Larry ‘Graig’ Stones (1952 – 2015) Larry ‘Graig’ Stones, a loving husband, son, father, brother, uncle and grandfather passed away peacefully on December 18, 2015 in Grand Junction, CO with his loving wife Mary by his side. Graig was born on August 10, 1952 in Clovis, New Mexico to Larry Delbert Stones and Dionne Andersen. He graduated from West High School in 1970. He served in the United States Army until he was injured in 1971, when he was Honorably Discharged. In 1973 he married Vivian Johansen in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Graig and Vivian had two beautiful children; son, Troy Jeffrey Stones and daughter, Amy Stones. They later divorced, but remained friends through out their lives. Graig married Mary Cody on March 1, 1991 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. They enjoyed many wonderful years living in California, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. Diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2009, Graig courageously fought cancer and the many complications as a result throughout the years with chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplant and several surgeries. Graig had a great zest for life, leaving no stone unturned. To say that he was a ‘hard worker’ is an understatement. He had an incredibly strong work ethic and fierce determination to always finish each job to perfection. He proudly passed this trait on to his son Troy. He had many talents and special skills when it came to building and construction. His love and talent of building brought him many personal opportunities and accomplishments, particularly in building LDS Temples, Catholic Churches, Native America High Schools, and many other religious, commercial and residential buildings. The family would like to emphasize in particular, the LDS Temples where he played a VERY BIG part in their construction. He was one of the many workers on the Portland, OR Temple. He was the Assistant Superintendent on the San Diego, CA Temple. He was the Superintendent on the Albuquerque, NM Temple, the Snowflake, AZ Temple, and started the Sacramento, CA Temple as Superintendent before he became ill. Graig was very proud and honored to be a part of building these beautiful temples. He had a kind and giving heart and was always willing to lend a hand to family and friends with any projects they needed help with. He was especially proud of his son Troy and beautiful daughter Amy. They were his pride and joy and he loved them more than life itself. Becoming a grandfather was such a blessing to Graig. If you wanted to see him beam, just ask him about his kids. They all brought such light and laughter and he cherished every moment he had with them. Graig and Mary shared in the mutual love of their Black Labs. Their dogs Mooner, Bocefus, Hercules and Sampson were ‘their kids’ they raised together during their marriage. They shared many happy memories with them. If you knew Graig, you can picture him outside playing Frisbee with his Labs running around him, grinning from ear to ear. Another love of Graig’s was the outdoors. He loved camping, hunting and even yard work. If it involved being outdoors or in the mountains, he was happy. Mary stuck by Graig through 24 years of out-of-state job commitments, diagnosis of cancer, and she continued to love him and stay by his side even at his weakest moments.  Whenever he would talk about her, he would say, "Mary is an angel.  She's such an amazing woman and I would be lost without her.  Our family is incredibly grateful to Mary for showing him so much patience and love throughout their marriage. Mary stuck by Graig through 24 years of out-of-state job commitments, diagnosis of cancer, and she continued to love him and stay by his side even at his weakest moments.. In his younger years, he loved playing sports of all kinds, especially football and baseball. As he got older, he coached Ute Conference Little League Football for many years. One of his favorite pastimes was watching football, especially The University of Utah Utes and the Green Bay Packers. Graig had an infectious laugh and a wonderful sense of humor. Although he was the biggest tease, his huge heart and loving smile are something we will never forget. His wife and family would like to give special thanks and recognition to his best friend, Kevin Nourse, who was a compassionate and attentive friend to him to the very end. We would also like to thank the staff at Mantey Heights Rehabilitation Center and St. Mary’s Hospital, both in Grand Junction, CO, for being so kind and caring with him during his stay. Graig is survived by his wife Mary Stones, son Troy Stones (Jennifer), daughter Amy Preston, father Larry Stones (Marilyn), mother Dionne Riggs (Austen), sister Christine Norton (Howard), brother Todd Stones, brother Mitch Stones (Lisa), sister Traci Archuleta (Colin), five beautiful grandchildren and many, many nieces and nephews and cousins. Graig, although we will miss you terribly, we all know you are in a much better place free of pain and we have many memories of you in of heart. It brings us great peace knowing we all know we will be together again. I guess this is where you would say, “O.K. I’m done. See you Monday!” In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local Humane Society.