Pastor: 'Make it count' as Stone Hill did

This story was originally published June 23, 2015.

Stone Hill's parents, Glenn and Tina, gave him his name so that he could be a source of strength and inspiration to others in his life, said Lanny Kilgore, pastor of New Covenant Community Church in Lower Chanceford Township.

"Was that prophetic or what?" Kilgore asked the crowd of about 500 gathered at the church for Stone's funeral on Tuesday.

Stone, 17, a football standout at Red Lion Area High School, died June 16 after the minivan he was driving crashed on Slab Road in Lower Chanceford Township. Stone's friend and teammate, Nicholas Mankin, 16, also died in the crash.

Stone excelled at football, not only because of his skill, or his drive to play on the collegiate level, but of a deep desire to lift all of his teammates to a higher level, said head football coach Jesse Shay.

"He couldn't stand the fact that he might not be strong enough or fast enough to make the play the team needed," he said.

Stone's wrestling coach, Chris Schell, described him as the physical embodiment of the phrase "iron sharpens iron," in that he was always leading by example.

One day, Stone came to Schell and said there was something wrong with his ear; it was a bit of an understatement. Stone's cauliflower ear — a wrestling condition where the ear fills up with fluid from constant pressure — had burst. Schell sent Stone to get the ear treated.

"He came back to practice ... he was right back at it," Schell said. "He wouldn't express that he was in pain."

The Tuesday morning service took place at the church, located at 284 Slab Road, just across from the spot where mourners had marked the crash the previous week with flowers, balloons and even a dumbbell.

In the lobby, a table displayed photos of Stone, along with football jerseys and awards he had received. Inside the sanctuary, more photos were displayed on a screen above the dais — Stone deadlifting several hundred pounds, laughing with friends, and knocking a running back off his feet on the football field.

His teammates, at least 40 strong, sat on the left side of the church, wearing their gray, yellow and black jerseys.

Josh Hecht, 20, who attended the funeral, said he met Stone about three years ago at Model A Fitness in the Delta area. At that time, Stone "never worked out a day in his life," yet he got on the bench press and lifted more than 200 pounds, no problem, Hecht said.

"He was really dedicated to everything — dedicated to the gym, dedicated to sports," he said.

Stone's cousin, Jake Keesee, 18, described him as "a great kid, never had an enemy" and "always good at whatever he did."

The service opened with Tiffany Gowen singing "Amazing Grace." She later sang "It is well within my soul," which brought her to tears. At the end of the song, she looked at Stone's parents in the front row and said, "God bless you, Tina and Glenn."

In his sermon, Kilgore focused on the concept of "one," saying, "We only get to do this once, just one life ... make it count."

Kilgore said that is exactly what Stone, an only child, did in his 17 years. The pastor used Stone's life as an example for others to emulate.

"Cherish each moment, each embrace, each opportunity to love, to help another person," he said.

Contact Ted Czech at 717-771-2033.

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