FHS Reminiscing

FHS Reminiscing
[ FHS Reminiscing ]

Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Kaye ‘63 on February 27, 2026, 7:18 pm

So, so sorry to lose another dear classmate.

IN THE CARE OF
Parkway Funeral Home & Parkway Memorial Cemetery
Kathy Wilkinson Stone of Forest, Mississippi, passed away on February 27, 2026, at the age of 80.
Kathy was born in Utica on March 19, 1945. She joined the workforce in 1964 as a secretary for Ergon Inc., then Lampton Oil Company. Up until the week of her passing, Kathy remained a steady, encouraging presence and a beloved part of the Ergon family.
She cared deeply for the Ergon family of employees, including the late founder, Leslie Lampton Sr., and generations of Lampton family members. Kathy served through many of Ergon’s defining moments, welcomed generations of new employees, mentored countless teammates and worked to help maintain Ergon’s legacy of service for over 60 years. One of Ergon’s first towboats, the M/V Miss Kathy, was named in her honor for her significant contributions.
When she was not working, Kathy enjoyed listening to live music and gathering with friends. She was a strong supporter of local musicians and an advocate for community nonprofit organizations.
She is survived by a loving goddaughter, Gracie Madalyn Awabdy, and her entire Ergon family.
Kathy’s memorial service will be on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Ergon’s Corporate Headquarters at Mirror Lake Plaza in Flowood, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to the charity of your choice

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Steve Clark 70 on February 28, 2026, 12:57 pm, in reply to "Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

It’s always sad to hear of a Bearcat passing whether we knew them or not. Condolences to the family.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Betty Tadlock Haney '63 on February 27, 2026, 10:03 pm, in reply to "Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

So sorry to hear this about our classmate.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Beth Gray Chaney on February 27, 2026, 8:54 pm, in reply to "Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

So sorry to learn of the passing of another classmate of “63” I spent a many of nights with Katherine when we were in school ❤️

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Linda Epting Minard on February 28, 2026, 9:05 am, in reply to "Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

🙏🏿 condolences to her family and loved ones.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Sue ‘62 on February 27, 2026, 8:13 pm, in reply to "Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

So sorry for her death. She was a dear friend in jr. and sr. High school. Loved her dearly.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Panzey '62 on March 5, 2026, 9:55 am, in reply to "Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

Many fond memories of Kathryn, including three teenage girls trying to sleep in her small bed with quilts piled all over us. Sounds like that girl became quite a powerhouse. I'm sure she will be missed.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Hugh Carr on February 28, 2026, 5:43 am, in reply to "Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

Kathy was a super friend of our family! She lived close by our home on highway 35 just south of Forest. No one can boast beauty more than Kathy, inside and out!

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Robert '62 on March 2, 2026, 12:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

I went to the funeral this morning, and was quite surprised to find no other Bearcats there except Hugh Carr. He spoke, during the time given over for people to do so. He got lost in the crowd afterward so I didn't get the opportunity to visit with him.
Katherine was a real force in ERGON. She started as a clerk in its infancy and wound up, shall we say, a very powerful woman in the heirachyof a business that employs 4200 people.
I sat next to a man who had been the attorne for ERGON for many years. He said he finally got to where he considered her a friend, but never got over being scared of her!
One story I'll tell on her here is that when I left the full time vocational ministry and became bivocational, 25 or so years ago, I worked selling Cadillacs for a week. (Turned out, car sales was not my calling.) Anyway, the first day or so, I called her up and told her what I was doing and she said, "Robert, I appreciate it, but when I need a new car, I just call up Eric (or whatever his name was) at the Jaguar place and tell him to pick me out something nice and deliver it here to the office." I mean, how you gonna compete against THAT!?!?!?
My other story about her deals with a big multi-class reunion I put together at Roosevelt Park in Morton one year. I went out on a limb and engaged the big hall where we met and wound up with a pretty big liability. So, at the event, I asked everyone there to help out with a donation before they left. And our Bearcat class mates started putting in generous amounts of $5.00, maybe $10.00, but that was about it. Before she left Katherine gave me a check for $400.00, I believe it was. When the expenses were compared to the income that evening, I had about $5.00 left over. Her generosity bailed me out that evening for sure.

Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63

Posted by Hugh Carr on March 2, 2026, 8:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Kathryn Wilkerson Stone. FHS ‘63"

Kathryn’s story is very well printed in her life as a “business woman or might say”business lady””. Many in the Ergon family spoke of her and the great person that she was! I emphasized that same sentiment! She was a successful business person that made things a success because of her years of tedious work ethics!

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[ FHS Reminiscing ]