Cynthia Stone Ray

Cynthia Stone Ray, formerly of West Palm Beach, FL passed away January 21, 2021 in Fort Smith, AR, following complications from Covid-19, she was 85. She is preceded in death by her parents, Loren B Stone, and Kathryn “Kay” Stone, of Wellington, FL. Cousins, Ted Stone of Dallas, TX and Alan Stone of Albany, GA. Cynthia was born December 6, 1935, in Yonkers, New York. At the age of 6 months, she was featured in Ivory Soap advertisements, designed by her father, and featured in The Saturday Evening Post, and Ladies Home Journal. Cynthia, was an avid horsewoman, and competed on the national stage. At age 15, she was one of the first recipients of the Van Sinderen Equitation Trophy given by the American Horse Show Association, riding her beloved horse, Student Prince at Madison Square Garden. Cynthia attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA, and later had the honor of serving as a personal secretary for the late, Rose Kennedy, mother of President John F. Kennedy. In that capacity, Cynthia traveled extensively, scheduling events, and managing correspondences. Cynthia spent her later years in West Palm Beach, caring for her father, whom she adored, and helping him to manage his portfolio of art works. Cynthia was a lifelong learner, with an inquiring mind, an advocate of animal welfare, who cared about the welfare of all, but most particularly the least among us. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. The family would like to thank the staff at Butterfield Place and Marilyn Alley in Fort Smith for helping Cynthia to live independently.

She leaves behind, many cousins, including Marcia Cooksey, Bill and Adrienne Hanna, Mike Hanna of Fort Smith; Kim and Reynold Behrend of Longmont CO; Susan Biegler of San Antonio, TX; Cynthia Fawcett of Dallas, TX; Sarah Stone of Round Rock, TX; Rebecca Stone of Austin, TX; Arden Stone of Temple, TX; Martha Stone of Dallas, TX; and Sheila Stone of Ithaca, NY.