Chester 'Chet' Earl Stone III, age 81, passed away peacefully at his home in Plainville, Massachusetts on Saturday, August 3, 2024. He was a beloved husband to Valerie Darling. Loving father to Michael Stone, Christopher Stone and partner Ellen Claflin, Brendan Stone and partner Maura Young, Elizabeth O'Brien (Stone) and husband Jay O'Brien and loving grandfather to Connor, Kate, Shea, Taylor, Brayden and Nolan.  Loving brother to Carol Short (Stone) and Thomas Stone.  He is survived by his former wife Kathleen Stone with whom he had four children and remained lifelong friends. He is predeceased by his parents Chester Earl Stone Jr and Priscilla Stone, his twin brother Walter Stone and daughter-in-law Casey Scanlon Stone.  He is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews and many chosen family he collected throughout his lifetime.

Chet was born in Cohasset, MA in 1943 and raised in Scituate, MA. He was one of four children born to Chester Earl Stone Jr and Priscilla Stone. He attended Scituate High School where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran cross country.  He was football state champion in 1960-61 and made it to the Tech Tourney in basketball, but baseball was Chet's first love.  He played baseball in Boston Park League for 17 years after high school and was named MVP for both baseball and football, where he was known as 'Chet the Jet' for his lightning-fast speed.  In 1984 he was inducted into the league's Hall of Fame.

Tony Monteiro, a childhood friend from Scituate recounts, "When I first met Chet in 1960 I had just arrived from Cape Verde. I knew no one and spoke no English. He took me under his wing, introduced me to his wide circle of friends and even taught me how to play baseball, a game I had never seen. I can honestly say his friendship was invaluable."

Frank Petrous, one of his teammates and subsequent lifelong friends, said, "Sure he was a great athlete, but the man was so much more than that. When I joined the Boston Park League as a sophomore in high school, I was a nobody and he was already a big deal. He didn't care about his sports fame. He made me and every player feel like we were the most important players in the world."

Chet began his professional career as a salesman at Bucky Warren's Sporting Goods in Boston, working there for five years.  He was then hired by Arthur Coughlin at Holovak & Coughlin Sporting Goods in Arlington where he worked for seven years as a sporting goods executive.  Arthur became an early mentor and lifelong friend after they met when Chet was a young caddy at Hatherly Country Club.  It was through Holovak & Coughlin that Chet began selling equipment to Harvard and the rest shall we say is history.

While working for Holovak & Coughlin he made an impression at Harvard and in 1972

Chet was recruited by Harvard Athletics Business Manager Fran Toland for the position of Equipment Manager, taking over for Jimmy Cunniff, and working out of Dillon Field House.  They both worked under Director of Athletics Jack Reardon and they remained dear friends. Often working grueling hours, he once joked that the only two days off he had per year were Easter and Christmas Day.  He was responsible for 1,464 athletes playing 41 varsity and junior varsity sports, with another 2,000 students playing club sports and intramurals.

According to Bill Cleary, former Olympian and Harvard Hockey Coach during Chet's tenure, "Chet was all about helping people. He didn't get a degree from Harvard but he was as much a Harvard man as any student or alumni.  Every athlete and work study student got a special education working for Chet in addition to the one they received in the classroom. No matter one's station in life Chet was all about generosity, whether it was helping you to pay your tuition by working on campus or helping you get a job after graduation. He knew absolutely everyone; and they were all on his speed dial. Chet was an unbelievable asset to me in my roles as both hockey coach and Director of Athletics. Maybe more so than anyone else during my time at Harvard. He was a very special person. I will miss him."

Harvard Men's hockey Coach Ted Donato said, "Working in the equipment room with Chet provided me with a humor and perspective that made my Harvard experience so much more enjoyable. I could never express in words the gratitude I feel towards Chet for all the things he did to make my time as a student, and now as a coach, the best experience anyone could hope for."

He retired from Harvard after 30 years in 2005, and in 2006 he received the university's highest honor, the Harvard Medal for Extraordinary Service to the University, the only non-Harvard graduate to receive the honor.  So revered was Chet, that upon learning of his passing, the American flag flying over Harvard Stadium was lowered to half-staff...an honor usually reserved for Harvard's most prominent luminaries, graduates and U.S. Presidents.  He loved Harvard and Harvard loved him back.

After retiring from Harvard, he often played golf at Hatherly Country Club where he began to caddy at the age of 10 and became a lifelong member.  He continued giving back, starting an annual charity golf tournament attended by Harvard alumni, friends and family aptly titled 'Chet Stone Dillon Open.' The tournament proceeds benefitted Children's Hospital in Boston and St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton and over the years funded special equipment purchases and ensuring there will always be student employment at Dillon.  He also encouraged Harvard Athletics to supply free tickets to games to local youth groups.

In his later years, his passion for sports never ebbed and he most enjoyed attending his grand children's games, whether it was hockey, baseball, soccer and lacrosse, always cheering them on.

Many have summed up Chet's legacy this way, 'I don't think there will ever be another man like him.  A man from a humble background who never went to college and never forgot where he came from.  Working at Dillon became an extremely coveted position at Harvard for work study athletes.  Although he was generous to a fault, you had to work hard to earn his respect as he had worked hard throughout his own life.  His most important legacy may be his ability to guide student athletes who needed it through a large prestigious often impersonal University, through their ups and downs and onward through real life with the most human of touches.  He connected people, finding some their first internship, then a job and launching careers through his expansive network.  Although his influence was outsized, he wielded it with humor, humility and grace. Our lives are forever better for being one of the fortunate people to call Chet a friend.'

Award-winning journalist, Boston Globe columnist and MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle, who wrote about Chet with much humor and affection over the years said, "Chet was the only person in my life who could instantly remind me of what it was like when we were all young together. He was like a Pied Piper who brought out the best in everyone with his smile, his laugh and the gift he gave us: his friendship."

Relatives and friends are invited to visiting hours on Monday, August, 12, 2024 from 4-8PM at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 2 Summer Street, Cohasset, MA.  A Funeral Mass will be held the following day on Tuesday, August 13 at 10AM at St. Anthony.

The Funeral Mass will be live streamed from the church, please click on link below:

http://www.youtube.com/c/ChristbytheSea

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Chet Stone Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Abington Savings Bank, 800 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy, Cohasset, MA 02025.  The scholarship has been arranged by his family to benefit Scituate High School student athletes who have been accepted to college and are in financial need.

Chet Stone Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Abington Savings Bank
800 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy, Cohasset MA 02025