Obituary of Sydell M. Stone

Sydell “Terry” Magelaner Stone of Falls Church, VA passed away peacefully at home on March 30, 2023. Terry was born in New York, NY on April 6, 1929. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Marvin L. Stone, editor-in-chief of US News & World Report. She is survived by her children, Jamie Stone, Stacey Davis and Torren Stone; her grandchildren, Eryn Kelley, Brett Goodrich and Kyle Goodrich; and her great-grandchildren, Mackenzie and Zachary Goodrich.

Most of you knew her as Terry…which was the nickname she chose for herself as a child. She said that there were three Sydells in her 3rd grade class (well, it was the early 1930s in the Bronx). She wanted to stand out from the others.

Many of you also knew her husband, Marvin. Terry met Marvin when she was 18 and he was 23. She was going to summer classes at the University of Vermont and he was fresh out of the Navy. The story goes that she and her girlfriend spotted these two good-looking guys on North Beach, on Lake Champlain, and laid their blankets next to them. The rest, as they say, is history. They were married two years later, in 1949 and had a loving and wonderful 50-year marriage.

Marvin was a journalist and became a foreign correspondent for International News Service. This took them first to London, then Vienna, and finally to Tokyo. They lived in Japan until 1958. There, Terry learned Japanese, learned how to drive, and taught kindergarten, all while having three children and finishing her college degree at NYU in occupational therapy.

When they returned to the States, Marvin went to graduate school in NYC. Terry was in her element, having lived in some of the largest cities in the world. So, when Marvin was offered positions in Minneapolis and Washington, DC, she balked. She said Minneapolis was out of the question. And so they moved to Falls Church, VA.

In 1966, Terry became a business owner. She had two Asian import gift shops in Georgetown and one at Springfield Mall. She had these shops for 14 years.

Terry and Marvin loved to gamble. They enjoyed the horse races. The whole family would go to Rosecroft for an evening of dinner, betting and sometimes winning. In 1988, Terry became co-owner of several standardbred race horses. They raced in MD, DE, NY and NJ. She was active in buying, selling, and selecting trainers.

Another of their loves was the opera. They had season tickets to the Kennedy Center for many years. Terry supported the Washington Opera and was Chair of the Women’s Committee at one time.

They were world travelers, as anyone who uncovered all their treasures in trying to clean out their house would have found. In addition to traveling for Marvin’s work, which had them living in Budapest and Zagreb for short times during the 1990s. They loved to cruise. Terry’s last cruise was to Alaska with some of her children and grandchildren.

Many will remember Terry as the consummate hostess. She loved to entertain family, friends and neighbors. The more the merrier. She hosted parties for the Widows & Widowers Group, for Lake Barcroft Village and for everyone who wanted to join the family for holidays – especially Thanksgiving. For many years, they hosted a monthly neighborhood sing-along.

Terry had a long life, well-lived. She was opinionated, smart, sharp-witted, funny and frank. She was loving, caring and generous. She was an optimist. She was special.

A celebration of life with take place at Advent Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA on Saturday 5/13/2023 starting at 2:00PM. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery.