IN MEMORIAM | David Stone 1942-2016

NorthStar Bank Chairman Jim Cantonis recently had a fleeting and rare told-you-so moment with his friend of 40 years, David Stone. The victory: Cantonis rightly said the Fed would hold interest rates, while Stone predicted an increase.

Stone, says Cantonis, was right so often about markets and banking that it became routine. Stone was most recently CEO of Tampa-based NorthStar, a job that essentially began as a favor for Cantonis. “He taught me everything I know about banking,” says Cantonis. “He was very thoughtful and very wise, and he was thorough and meticulous.”

Stone died Nov. 30 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He was 74.

Stone balanced two other passions outside banking: family and service. Stone's three grandchildren affectionately called him Pa Pa Bank. He doted on his grandkids, according to his obituary, often recounting their achievements with friends.

Stone was also literally Mr. Clearwater — an annual award for service presented by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce the banker won in 2001.
Stone sat on the boards of numerous organizations, from Mease Health Center to Ruth Eckerd Hall to Junior Achievement of Pinellas County. He helped oversee a $26 million expansion at Mease, and he chaired a fundraising group that paid for a major renovation at Ruth Eckerd in 2001.

Stone graduated from Clearwater High School in 1960 and did a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force. He spent the next four decades with community banks, retiring twice only to be called back to action to help underperforming banks. His latest stint was with NorthStar, where a two-week gig turned into two years.
Stone, survived by his wife, Debbie, a daughter and three grandchildren, only gave up his bank job when his health deteriorated in October. “He touched a lot of people in this community,” says Cantonis. “We are going miss him.”

A memorial service for Stone is scheduled for 11 a.m. Dec. 12 at the Church of the Ascension, 701 Orange Ave., Clearwater. In lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Morton Plant Mease Foundation.