Dr. John Martin Roger Stone PhD

John Martin Roger Stone passed away at home on 18 March 2025 from Parkinson’s disease. He was 80 years old. His last year was marked with several hospital stays, but we were able to bring him home in November 2024 and he died peacefully, surrounded by family and support staff.

John was born in 1945 in Plymouth, Devon, UK, eldest son of Doris (née Folley) and Victor Stone. He was a proud alumnus of Devonport High School for Boys in Plymouth, and valued member of the youth group at Pilgrim United Church, where he made friendships that he sustained throughout his life. He graduated with a BSc in Chemistry (Special Honours) in 1966 and a PhD in Molecular Spectroscopy in 1969, both from the University of Reading (UK). At Reading University, he was active in the rowing club and in the choral society, and enjoyed a wide circle of friends.

In 1969, his PhD supervisor advised him to continue his post-doctoral work in either Australia or Canada. Luckily for us, he chose Canada to work at the National Research Council in Ottawa in the spectroscopy section under Dr. Gerhard Herzberg. He then spent a year at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague, living under the old stairs of Prague Castle, where he gained a love for all things Czech. After returning to Canada, he took on research and teaching duties at the University of Sherbrooke in Québec.

In the summer of 1974, he visited the Czechoslovak embassy in Ottawa to secure a visa to attend a conference, and accidentally pulled a glass handle off a door. The secretary, a pretty woman with short bleached hair, laughed at him, but later married him in a civil ceremony in Cheb, Czechoslovakia, in 1976.

In 1972, he joined the federal public service and went on to have a long and accomplished career in a number of government organizations, including the Ministry of State for Science and Technology, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the National Research Council’s Bureau of International Affairs, and finally Environment Canada. He was very active in international science, serving Canada through his work with the NATO Science Committee, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, the UN/ECE Senior Advisors on Science and Technology, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Scientific Steering Committee for the START program and as co-Chair for the Canada-Germany S&T Agreement. During the last 15 years of his career he directed research programs on climate and atmospheric sciences and developed policy on a range of environmental issues. He retired in 2005.

After retirement, he enjoyed his work as Adjunct Professor at Carleton University (Ottawa) and as Visiting Fellow to the International Development Research Council (IDRC) in Ottawa, sharing his insights and expertise with new audiences. He was also a regular contributor and participant at the Annual Conference on Statistics, Science and Public Policy at Herstmonceux Castle in the UK, organized by Canadian statistician and friend Dr. Agnes Herzberg.

In 1997 he was appointed to the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He served as Vice-Chair for Working Group I and later Working Group II for the 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, making him part of the team that received the Nobel Peace Prize in that year. John was very proud of his IPCC work, but he modestly kept his Nobel prize certificate in the basement.

John loved classical music, especially J.S. Bach, and would often be found directing an imaginary orchestra in the living room. He enjoyed kayaking and canoeing, going for early morning solo paddles at the cottage near Algonquin Park that his family rented once a year. He was never one to shy away from new challenges. He learned the art of wood-working when he and his wife, Olina, moved to their south Ottawa townhouse in the late 1970s. After seeing the success of his first project, a rocking horse for his eldest daughter, Lenka, he went on to make much of the furniture in the house. He learned to speak Czech in order to speak the language with his daughter, and became a certified scuba diver with his son Filip. He became the “chief cook and bottle washer” after Olina had health issues as he was nearing retirement, and, among other travel adventures, braved the altitude of Machu Picchu, Peru with Lenka and her husband Salvador.

John was good at making and keeping friends, several of them from his childhood and youth in Plymouth and his university days. He enjoyed returning to his home city by the sea for reunions with his two brothers and their families, extended family, and many friends. In Ottawa, he was an important part of the neighbourhood where he lived for 45 years, and will be fondly remembered by many.

Physical decline was difficult, but he kept his sense of humour as he continued to enjoy good meals and British murder mysteries. Eager to keep Parkinson’s disease at bay, he kept active, taking walks in the neighbourhood and doing crossword puzzles with his friend Bob Yanus. He kept up to date with developments in climate change science and gave talks and attended conferences for as long as he could. His five grandchildren also became a great source of joy. In his last year, he was beloved by his support staff and nurses for always being polite and engaging with them to the best of his ability.

John is predeceased by his parents (Doris and Victor Stone) and survived by his wife (Olina née Navarova), daughter (Lenka Stone), son (Filip Stone), his two brothers (Richard and Andrew Stone), grandchildren (Petra Herencia-Stone and Emma, Ethan, Claire, and Lucas Stone), son-in-law (Salvador Herencia Carrasco) and daughter-in-law (Sarah Stone).

A memorial service will be held in June. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in John's memory to the Ottawa Mission, Médécins sans frontières/Doctors Without Borders, or the Parkinson’s Society of Canada.