Allen A. Stone

Allen Ariel Stone, entrepreneur, Bach aficionado, composer, woodworker, “car guy,” and much-loved husband, father, and “Gramps,” died September 28 after a long illness.  He was known for his aphorisms, such as “fun is over-rated” and “you’ve gotta know how to wait,” which were often received with much eye-rolling by his children, but were just as often acknowledged by them as useful guides.

Allen was born to Leon and Paula Gidansky Slucki in Paris, France, April 14, 1938, as war was looming.  By the grace of God, the ingenuity of his parents, and a lot of luck, he and his parents managed to elude the Nazis, although many members of the extended family, including his grandparents, perished in the Holocaust.  Allen and his mother came to America on visitors’ visas in 1947.  Through dogged persistence and the help of family members who had previously emigrated, his mother was able to lobby successfully for extensions, and he and his mother were allowed to stay in the US by an act of Congress.

He grew up on the north side of Chicago, graduated from Senn High School, and attended the University of Chicago.  After three years of studying chemistry, he decided to exercise his right brain instead of his left, and switched to a major in music, graduating from the University of Southern California in 1962.

Returning to Chicago, he managed the Medici coffee house in Hyde Park for a year, before accepting a job at the American Hospital Association as head of the Data Collection Department.  It was there that he met his future wife, Mary Williams.  It took her a few years to convince him – a quiet, reserved only child –that he would fit right in with the raucous Williams clan of nine siblings, but he quickly became a “crowd favorite.”  Much to his surprise, he also exceeded his initial expectations, becoming the father of five children.

In 1973 he left AHA to found a software company, Health Information Services, Inc., later known as Resources.  From a two-man operation with his partner, Rex Schumacher, the company grew to have thirty employees by the time he retired 23 years later.  In retirement, he enjoyed various woodworking projects, and he returned to his original love, composing music, creating several shorter compositions, as well as two lengthier pieces, “Credo in Unum Deum” and “Stabat Mater.”

For over 30 years, he spent Saturday mornings at “Breakfast Club,” meeting with a few like-minded friends to discuss the problems of the world over coffee and crisp bacon.  Though rather laconic, he could be counted on to provoke some laughs at his wry observations of life in general.

Allen was predeceased by his parents, Leon Slucki and Paula (Oscar) Tritsch, his parents-in-law Burrell and Dorothy Williams, his favorite cousin, Carol (Howard)Kain, his lifelong best friend, Michel (Sandi) Ditlove, a step-sister, Julia Tritsch; and four brothers-in-law, Tom, Ed (Marilyn), John (Helene), and Burrell Williams. He is survived by his wife, Mary;  children Benjamin (Emily Carey), Bara (Ed) Scotti, Sarah, Michael, and David (Karen) Stone;  grandchildren Matthew (Ariel), Jack, Annie, Hank, Charlie, and Lucy Stone; and siblings-in-law Dorothy Boillot, Jim, Margaret, and Frank (Gail) Williams, as well as a host of nieces and nephews. 

The family wishes to thank IU Health Hospice for their kind attention to Allen in the past several months, especially from Michael, Megan, and Bettina.

A memorial service will be held in Wilmette, Illinois, his home for 34 years, at St. Francis Xavier Church, Ninth and Linden Street, on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 11 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Misericordia, 6300 N. Ridge Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, or to the charity of your choice. 

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