CLIFFIE STONE'S LIFE CELEBRATED; UPBEAT CEREMONY RECALLS MUSICIAN'S HUMOR, EXUBERANCE.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Although hundreds of friends and family members filled the pews of The Village Church on Wednesday for Cliffie Stone's funeral, they came to celebrate the country musician's life rather than mourn his death.

The tone of the two-hour service was decidedly upbeat, dominated by humorous anecdotes about a colorful entertainer, with hymns, prayers and fond remembrances of the longtime Santa Clarita Valley resident who died at home Saturday of a heart attack. He was 80.

Among those who eulogized Stone during the funeral were his widow, Joan Carol Stone; his daughter, Linda Stone Hyde; and his sons, Stephen, Jonathan and Curtis. Burial followed at Eternal Valley Memorial Park.

``Dad always hated funerals. After my mom died, he swore he'd never go to another,'' Hyde told the estimated 400 mourners who filled the church. ``Truly, he wouldn't be here today if he weren't the star attraction.''

That theme, of a man who loved life and an entertainer who relished the spotlight, permeated the service. Printed on the funeral program was one of Stone's favorite sayings - ``Happiness is not at the end of the road, but along the way'' - and those who addressed the congregation shared stories that seemed to illustrate that philosophy.

``I am so privileged to have been married to this man,'' Joan Stone said during her eulogy, noting she and Stone were inseparable during their nine years together. Her husband, she noted, was involved in so many projects and endeavors even though he would have marked his 81st birthday on March 1.

``I know Cliffie did not want to leave us, and I'm sure he tried to smooth-talk God,'' she joked. She described a gregarious man who was in his element before microphones and television cameras, who encouraged the budding talent of young musicians, and who was unpretentious about his life's accomplishments.

Stone hit the big time in 1946 when three of his song collaborations reached the Top 5: ``No Vacancy'' by Merle Travis, ``New Steel Guitar Rag'' by Bill Boyd and the Cowboy Ramblers, and ``Divorce Me C.O.D.'' by three different artists.

That same year his ``Hometown Jamboree Show'' began radio broadcasts; a few years later, the show moved to television. ``Hometown Jamboree'' was the forum that launched the careers of many artists, including Johnny Cash, ``Tennessee'' Ernie Ford and Tex Ritter.

During his lengthy career, Stone was a musician, singer, comedian, radio disc jockey, songwriter, music publisher, artists' manager, record company executive, and TV, radio and record producer.

He also served as vice president of the County Music Association, and as president, vice president and member of the board of directors of the Academy of Country Music. At the time of his death, he was the academy's historian.

He was the recipient of the academy's Pioneer Award in 1972, a 1979 inductee in the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Country Music Association's Hall of Fame award in 1989. He was also honored in 1989 with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Stephen Stone recounted how his father, born two weeks early as his parents were driving through Stockton, attended Burbank public schools, played the trombone and helped out with the family's nursery and dog kennel businesses.

Although Cliffie Stone had career ambitions as a football coach and had been offered a scholarship to play college football, he went to work instead because it was the middle of the Great Depression and the family needed the extra income, Stephen said.

He also recalled watching his father's first TV broadcast, a live ``Hometown Jamboree'' show staged at an El Monte stadium.

Curtis Stone, a Nashville-based musician who said he had performed ``hundreds'' of shows with his father, stood behind the oak casket - topped by a white cowboy hat and an arrangement of red carnations - to sing one of Cliffie Stone's favorite tunes. As Curtis strummed his guitar and sang the verses of ``Elvira,'' the congregation clapped to the beat and then joined in singing the chorus.

Also on hand for the funeral were Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and longtime family friend Buck Ford, whose father, ``Tennessee'' Ernie Ford, also was Stone's close friend and musical collaborator.

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3 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) (Color in SAC only) Hundreds of people fill the pews Wednesday at The Village Church in Newhall for the funeral of country music pioneer Cliffie Stone.

(2--Color) (Color in SAC only)Joan Carol Stone eulogizes her husband, Cliffie Stone, whose country music roots were shown with a cowboy hat on his coffin.

(3) (Ran in SAC only) Buck Ford and Curtis Stone comfort each other at the funeral of Stone's father, musician Cliffie Stone, in Newhall on Wednesday.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News