BENNINGTON -- Mr. John R. Stone III, 48, a resident of Imperial Avenue, Bennington Vermont died Tuesday, August 22, 2006, at the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, following a courageous battle with melanoma.Born in Bennington Aug. 5, 1958, he was the son of John R. Stone Jr. and Jean M. Gangloff Stone. He received his education in Bennington and was a 1976 graduate of Mount Anthony Union High School. John married the former Lennora “Leni” Vandale at Saint Francis de Sales Church in Bennington on July 12, 1980. Leni died Jan. 9, 2006.Following high school John worked at Creative Tools and later was employed at Mount Anthony Union Middle School in Bennington. During that time, John also worked part time at Willy’s Variety. For the last 20 years, he worked at Energizer in Bennington, where he started as a production operator and most recently was involved in the purchasing department for MRO (maintenance repairs operations).A life long member of Sacred Heart-St. Francis deSales Church, John was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 307 and a member of the Fourth Degree Assembly. He especially enjoyed time spent with his granddaughter and also enjoyed working on computers, making wedding cakes and helping people in any way possible. Each year during the summer John and his family would take their pop-up camper to Salisbury Beach, Mass., for a month. In earlier years, John enjoyed fishing with his father and had once caught a 21-inch brown trout.Survivors include his children, Michael D. Stone and Rebecca L. Stone; a granddaughter, Natallie Elizabeth Stone; his parents, John R. Stone Jr. and Jean Stone, all of Bennington; six sisters, Susan Stone, of Bennington, Margaret Harris of Pownal, Judy Stone, of North Pownal, Liz Rabelin, of Richmond, Kathy Atkins, of North Bennington and Mary Dunham, of Bennington; his mother-in-law, Thelma Van Dale, of Bennington; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Keith and Linda Vandale, of North Bennington and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.The funeral will be held from the Mahar & Son Funeral Home Friday, Aug. 25, 2006 at 9:30 a.m. with a prayer and from Sacred Heart-Saint Francis deSales Church at 10 a.m., where the Mass of Resurrection will be offered.Friends may call at the Mahar & Son Funeral Home Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. when the family will be in attendance. The wake service will be offered Thursday evening. Should friends desire, contributions for cancer research in John R. Stone III’s memory may be made to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Medical Center through the office of the Mahar & Son Funeral Home, 628 Main St, Bennington, VT 05201.All members of Knights of Columbus, Council 307, are asked to meet at the Mahar & Son Funeral Home Thursday evening at 8 p.m. for the recitation of the Rosary.