NEA/DL Capt. Richard “Dick” Banfe Stone

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, NEA/DL Capt. Richard “Dick” Banfe Stone

June 23, 1932 ~ November 23, 2025

 

A plaque bearing Dick's name hangs in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. for his work on aircraft accident investigation……………….

 

Dick joined Northeast Airlines 08-05-1957 and was based Boston in the early years, and retired with Delta Air Lines based Atlanta.  He is survived by his wife Ruth, and by their daughters and their families.

 

PCN memorial site  

 

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/saltlaketribune/name/richard-stone-obituary?id=60159334

Richard Stone Obituary

Salt Lake City, Utah-Captain Richard (Dick) Banfe Stone died peacefully on November 23, 2025 with family and his wife, Ruth, of almost 72 years by his side. Never one to sit idle, he spent his professional career as a commercial airline pilot while also actively participating in the Air Line Pilots Association investigating cockpit noise, pilot medical issues, human factors in aviation, and aircraft accidents. Frequently, family dinners were interrupted by requests for him to talk to a pilot in need or to investigate the latest aircraft accident. He loved to tell stories from his accident investigations, focusing not on his intelligence, but his commonsense contributions. "I was never the smartest person in the room, but I was a hard worker," he often said. A plaque bearing Dick's name hangs in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. for his work on aircraft accident investigation.

 

Dick's energy was immense. When he wasn't flying airplanes or investigating accidents, he was skiing, playing bridge, golf, handball or tennis, fly fishing, making Hungarian food, throwing pottery, tying flies, making wine, growing a victory garden, building furniture, playing the piano, or volunteering for The Nature Conservancy.

 

Dick was born on June 23, 1932, to Irving Charles Stone and Mary Banfe Stone at their home on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. While attending the University of Illinois, Dick met the love of his life, Ruth, when he followed her home from church. They married on January 31, 1954, and after graduating from college, Dick began serving as a pilot in the United States Air Force, living in Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas.

 

In 1957, Dick and Ruth moved to Massachusetts where he began working as a commercial airline pilot for Northeast Air Lines which merged with Delta Airlines.

 

Dick and Ruth settled their family in Hampton, New Hampshire. In 1966, Dick's took up skiing, patiently lacing his daughters' boots, attaching their cable bindings and teaching them to ski.

 

In 1978, Dick and Ruth moved to Atlanta, Georgia to enable Dick to fly large aircraft overseas for the final 14 years of his career. Upon retirement in 1992 and with 26,000 flight hours, Dick and Ruth moved to Bountiful, Utah where Dick enjoyed fly fishing, golfing and especially skiing at Alta with the "Wild Old Bunch." Dick was elected serve as the President of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators and served for two terms.

 

Dick and Ruth moved to The Ridge Foothill in 2021 and enjoyed dining with their new friends. Dick continued to ski until 2021. Dick moved to Memory Care at The Ridge in March of 2025 and enjoyed daily lunches with Ruth and their friends. The family is deeply thankful to the kind and caring staff members at the Ridge and at Canyon Home Care and Hospice.

 

Dick is survived by his wife, Ruth, his brother Irving, his three daughters, Katherine Carpenter (Chuck), Mary Dumler (Richard), Karin Hobbs (Lincoln), six grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Dick is a member of Christ United Methodist Church. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.