COEUR d'ALENE - Ray Stone was not one to back down from political pressures.

"You always knew where he stood," Ron Edinger said of the former Coeur d'Alene mayor. "He was a very staunch Democrat - and he always let you know it. He stood by what he believed."

Stone, Coeur d'Alene's mayor from 1986 to 1994 and a city council member from 1971 to 1979, died at The Hospice House in Coeur d'Alene Monday. He was 89.

Stone was also a World War II veteran, the leader and drummer of a local band called The Ray Stone Swing Band, a teacher and a former dean at North Idaho College.

Edinger, also a former Coeur d'Alene mayor and city council member who served with Stone, said Stone looked out for the "little guy or underprivileged person."

"I lost a dear friend in Ray Stone and a good golfing buddy," Edinger said. "He was a feisty and kind-hearted man."

Edinger recalls a time when he went to pick up his girlfriend, who later became his wife, from a dance in which Stone was a chaperone.

"He wouldn't let me in because he didn't know me," Edinger said. "He wouldn't let me take her because of that."

Current Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem knew Stone from education circles and served as co-chair of a downtown revitalization project when Stone was mayor.

"He was an inspiration not only to me, but a lot of others," Bloem said. "When he believed in something, he fought for it. He was always a proponent for a vibrant downtown. He left a legacy to be proud of."

Stone was the product of hard work.

"He worked his way through life and appreciated what hard work gets you," said Rolly Williams, who worked at NIC with Stone. "He believed in the working man and the rights of the working man."

He learned to play the drums at age 12. His mother was a pianist, playing for silent movie screenings and grange hall shows in central Idaho.

"When I first played in the band with her, I couldn't see over the bass drum," he told The Press in 2008.

His school's music instructor did not know how to play drums, forcing Stone to learn by ear on his own.

Williams described Stone as an avid reader, a history buff and being well-organized.

Stone, survived by his wife, Betty, performed in his band until recently.

"My bands always dress up," he told The Press. "We don't go anywhere sloppy."

Stone fought in three combat campaigns during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge.

He received the Bronze Star as a paratrooper with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division for liberating the Wobbelin concentration camp in Germany in 1945.

Stone returned home to earn three college degrees. He taught at Coeur d'Alene High and North Idaho College before becoming the Dean of Instruction at NIC.

"Ray was an educator and his time in the mayor position showed that, too," Bloem said. "He was always willing to teach and help others."

During his two terms as mayor, he was involved with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. He accepted an All America City Award on behalf of the city for its role in dealing with the Aryan Nations.

Visitation for Stone will be from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d'Alene Chapel. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church, 521 Lakeside Ave., Coeur d'Alene.