of Little Rock, AR

January 26, 1957 - October 29, 2024

Gail Elizabeth Hammond Stone, former Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System (APERS), passed away at Baptist Hospital after a brief illness. Gail was born January 26, 1957 in Grosse Pointe, MI to Carol Frances Bender Hammond, a Librarian and Reverend William D. Hammond.

She attended Grosse Pointe Schools where she was an accomplished ballet dancer and outstanding student, excelling in English, French and Art. She was talented at sewing, making beautiful clothes well into her adult life-later using designer fabrics available from 7th Avenue in NYC to create some fabulous outfits. After graduating from Grosse Pointe High School, she was off to Smith College in Northampton, MA where she majored in Government. It was there that she made a number of life-long friends, gathering with them nearly every year after graduation. She also attended every 5-year Class Reunion until this year.

After Smith, Gail moved to NYC where she lived on the Upper West Side overlooking the Hudson River- long before it became fashionable! She worked first as a paralegal for Sullivan and Cromwell, then in marketing for Laura Ashley. Eventually she moved into Finance, working for a Commodities trading firm in Greenwich, CT. During this time, she met her future husband, Ira Stone (then a Bond Trader with Cantor Fitzgerald). The couple lived in Greenwich, CT with their dogs and cats for several years, eventually leaving the East Coast for Ira's home in Little Rock, Arkansas to be closer to family, including stepdaughter, Alexandra Stone, with whom Gail became very close. Gail went to work for the State of Arkansas, rising to the level of Executive Director of APERS, where she served until her retirement in 2022.

Gail is remembered by her friends as beautiful and elegant, whip smart, hard-working and humble and loyal beyond all measure. She was someone you knew you could count on. She was predeceased by both her parents and her sister, Judy Hammond. She leaves behind her husband, Ira Stone; stepdaughter, Alexandra Stone; brothers, Don Hammond and Tom Hammond and golden retriever, Maggie, as well as a devoted group of friends from Smith College. We will all miss her deeply.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Chenal Funeral Home
13801 Chenal Parkway
Little Rock, AR  72211
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com