Gayle Sandra Stone, 91, of Randolph, New Jersey, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on September 21st, 2026.Gayle was born on August 21st, 1935, in Dallas, Texas, to Clarence S. Wood and Geneva M. Lambright. She moved often throughout her childhood before eventually settling in California.She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and her master’s degree from Pepperdine University.Before beginning her career in education, Gayle pursued her love of the performing arts as anactress. As with most things in her life, she did not do it halfway; she took her craft seriously and was flown to 20th Century Fox Film Corporation for a screen test in 1957. She later became ateacher and then a principal for the Ocean View School District, dedicating her career to education before retiring at just 58 years old. What followed were 33 years of truly living life to the fullest, surrounded by friends and family.

Gayle shared an important chapter of her life with Doug Bowles, with whom she raised their children, Lisa and Richard, and welcomed his daughters into her family. Although their lives eventually took different paths, the friendship and family they built together endured. Gayle and Doug remained the closest of friends throughout their lives, and the bond between their families remained an important and cherished part of Gayle’s life. Eventually, Gayle’s life brought her across the country to New Jersey, where an entirely new chapter was waiting for her. It was there that she met Jerry Stone, the love of her life. They married on December 28, 2009, and together lived by the motto,

“It’s never too late.

” They blended their families, traveled the world, and built a life filled with adventure, laughter, family, and an extraordinary amount of theater. They traveled into New York City as often as twice a week and saw an incredible 909 Broadway shows together. Through every adventure, their greatest priority remained being there for the people they loved. Gayle and Jerry shared a remarkable partnership and loved one another deeply.

More than anything, Gayle loved her family: her husband, her children and stepchildren, grandchildren and step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren, as well as all of the “strays” Gayle seemed to collect along the way. To Gayle, family was never limited by biology, marriage, or circumstance; it was defined by love. She simply did not allow people to go through life without it. There was always another seat at her table, another place at a holiday celebration, and, when someone needed it, sometimes even another place to call home.

Gayle will be remembered for her larger-than-life personality, her free spirit, her courage, her love of the stage, and her appreciation for a good glass of wine, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, to be specific. Most of all, she will be remembered for the way she made sure no one ever felt alone. She taught those who loved her to always reach for the stars and leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, family, strength, and a life lived without waiting for permission.

Gayle is survived by her beloved husband, Jerry Stone; her children, Richard Bowles and his partner, Masayo, and Lisa Goldstein and her husband, Troy; her stepson, Brian Stone and his wife, Tina; her grandchildren, Jennifer Bowles-Kindt and her husband, Greg, Shelly Ward and her husband, Matthew, Shannon Goldstein, and Boden Stone; her great-grandchildren, Ellora Bowles and Briseis Kindt; and her great-great-granddaughter, Grace Moe.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Geneva; her siblings, Ray Wood, Bob Wood, and Joy Brandt; her stepdaughter, Jandi Steele; and her children’s father, Douglas Bowles.

Visitation will be held on October 5, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Davis & Hepplewhite Funeral Home in Succasunna, New Jersey. A memorial service will immediately follow at 5:00 p.m.

Following the service, a repast will be held at approximately 6:00 p.m. at the Randolph Barn, a restaurant where Gayle and Jerry shared many meals and memories. All are welcome to join the family in celebrating Gayle and the extraordinary life she lived.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Gayle’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association. Friends and family are also invited to join our team, Remembering Together, at the Northwest New Jersey Walk to End Alzheimer’s on October 3, 2026. Gayle spent her life reaching for the stars, and she encouraged everyone she loved to do the same. From the stage she dreamed of as a young woman to the countless Broadway stages she later watched beside Jerry, she never lost her love for a good story, or for living one herself. And what a story it was. A life filled with adventure, laughter, family, a little Chardonnay, hundreds of Broadway curtains, and an extraordinary love with Jerry that proved her favorite motto true: it is never too late. The curtain may have fallen, but the love, laughter, and light Gayle brought to her family will remain long after her final bow.

Screenshot