Elteen Kirschbaum Stone

Elteen Kirschbaum Stone, born Martha Elteen Krythe, died June 9. She was 90.

Stone was born in Buhl, Idaho on April 26, 1919, the only child of Gerard and Maymie Krythe. Shortly after her birth, due to her father’s tuberculosis, the family moved to Arizona. Her father died when she was three years old, forcing another move to Long Beach, Calif.

She spent her early years in Long Beach, attending Woodrow Wilson High School, which was leveled in the 1933 earthquake. She attended Pomona College on a full scholarship, graduated in 1940, and then attended UC Berkeley doing graduate work in political science.

In 1945, she met Al Kirschbaum at a USO dance and they married that October. Their first child, a daughter, Carol Jean was born in 1952. Sadly, their second daughter Martha Ann died in 1958. Their third daughter, Margaret Ellen (Margie) was born in 1959. Al died in 1968, leaving her with two daughters to raise on her own.

She went back to school, learned Fortran and Cobol computer languages, and obtained a job at LLNL. She received her master’s degree in psychology in 1973. From then on, her work path led her to guiding others, be it career counseling, values clarification classes or communication skills. In 1980, she married Stu Stone, an old friend from UC Berkeley and Livermore Lab days. They shared 17 years of love and travel until his death in 1997.

In 2003, she re-connected at a Pomona reunion with one of her former college sweethearts, Preston Hill. The flame was rekindled and they spent three years together until Preston’s death in 2006.

Stone will be remembered for her involvement in the community, her amazing intelligence, her activism and philanthropy and her kindness and caring toward others.

Stone’s survivors include daughters Carol Edson, Margie Kirschbaum, and surrogate daughter Linda Schield; sons-in-law Rick Edson and Pat Mitchell; stepson Dale Stone, stepdaughter Robin Keeler, granddaughters Shauna and Rosie Edson, and Jentina Mitchell. She also is survived by relatives in Holland, Connecticut and Vermont.

Donations may be made in Stone’s name to: Heifer Project International, First Presbyterian Church Livermore, Nature Conservancy or League of Women Voters.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. July 26 at the First Presbyterian Church, 2020 Fifth St., Livermore. A reception will follow the service.