Pastor Mike Stone Announces Passing of 19-Year-Old Daughter Sarah

Mike Stone posted the news on Tuesday afternoon, breaking the silence that had hung over Blackshear, Georgia. His daughter, Sarah Ellington Stone, is gone. She was 19. For months, the family had watched her fade, a slow retreat from the world into a hospice bed. It was a battle fought with feeding tubes, strict medication regimens, and a body ravaged by multiple illnesses. Yet, even as her strength drained away, her spirit remained unbroken.

Stone has led Emmanuel Baptist Church for 24 years. He walked in the door in October 1996 as a minister of music and took the pulpit in June 2002. Now, he stands before his congregation with a grief that defies easy words. "With heavy hearts upheld by our Christian faith, we want to share that our precious Sarah has gone to be with the Lord," he wrote on social media. The words are simple, but they carry the weight of a decade of service and a lifetime of love.

The end was not sudden. Stone and his wife knew the final moments were approaching. They had seen the decline, the weakness, the undeniable signs that time was running out. "But there is no mistaking that she is extremely weak and we recognize her continued decline," he shared last month. Despite the physical destruction caused by disease, Sarah’s mind stayed sharp. Her faith held firm. And her humor? That never left.

She made it to her 19th birthday on September 3. Five days later, on September 8, she was there for her father’s birthday too. Stone called it a blessing. "I'm really so happy she made it to celebrate my birthday, too," he posted on Facebook. It was one of the last bright spots in a season of shadows.

Sarah did not hide her struggle. She used social media to document her fight with chronic illness, aiming to help other believers make sense of their pain. In a video from November 2025, she spoke directly to the camera about the unique weight of grief for a chronically ill Christian. "It's not just the loss of our health but the loss of dreams, plans and a version of life that never got the chance to exist," she said. Her voice was steady, her perspective clear.

She offered comfort to those watching. "The beautiful thing about suffering as a Christian, is these truths at the end can apply to any circumstance!" she wrote. "No matter what trial you’re facing, his grace will be sufficient. Rest in that." For a young woman whose body was failing, her words became a lifeline for others.

Stone described her as a fighter whose strength matched her faith. "Sarah is proving that her fight is as strong as her faith," he wrote five weeks after she entered hospice care in August. He also admitted the painful reality of the situation. "And yet we continue to see the undeniable signs that, barring a miracle, her home going will be soon." The community now prepares to say goodbye.

A service will honor Sarah on November 8 at Emmanuel Baptist Church. It is a final gathering for a family that has shared their joy and their pain with the world. Her story remains a testament to resilience, faith, and the enduring power of love in the face of loss.