Though Bob Stone, owner of Stone’s Country Tires, never had children of his own, he made sure the young athletes at Truckee High School were always taken care of, constantly sponsoring the teams that needed help.

“He was always very involved with all the sports,” said Truckee High School Athletic Director Erika Murphy.

“Anytime anybody came into the shop and needed help, if they personally came in he would give them whatever they needed,” said his wife Chris Evans Stone. “He never said no. He loved his town.”

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This past week Bob Stone died at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer.

“Bob always had a good relationship with the community,” said Murphy. She said Stone’s donations were always a huge help, especially before foundations were set up specifically for sports teams to raise money. “There were always these fundraisers they’d have to do to get uniforms, and travel bags,” she said. “Measure A was always there for the academics but not sports,” she said. “That was out of the district budget. We couldn’t do much, so those donations really helped.”

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After graduating from Arizona State, Stone worked at his older brother’s tire shop in Vacaville for five years where he learned the ins and outs of the business. In 1993 he opened Stone’s Country Tires which now sits on Comstock Drive in Truckee.

Stone would eventually meet his second wife Chris Evans Stone at this tire shop, as she was his customer 11 years ago. Evans Stone said he would always give her discounts on tires and occasionally let her make small payments until she could pay him back fully. After they married Stone helped is wife raise her twin boys who were eight years old at the time.

“He’s the most generous man I’d ever met,” she said.

Between vacations in Coronado and fishing trips in Alaska, she said it was never a dull moment with him. Stone even won “Most Unique Local Resident” in the Sierra Sun’s 2017 Best Local Life contest.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the Truckee Donner Community Recreation Center.

The family is also setting up a Bob Stone Memorial Scholarship to be given out to eligible Truckee High School students.

Hannah Jones is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. She can be reached at hjones@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2652.