Stone studied at the Department of Botany in University of Melbourne from 1930 - 1934, graduating with an MSc involving a thesis on sclerotia-forming fungi that cause disease in ornamental plants.
[1] However, she did not begin her career studying bryophytes until 1957 when she was appointed as a demonstrator in the Department of Botany at University of Melbourne, at first part-time and then full-time.
She is noted for keen observation and attention to often small and overlooked moss species, and for her contributions to their taxonomy.
In addition, her work on the Australian Fissidens in collaboration with David Catcheside made significant improvements to its taxonomy.
This includes two genera (Stonea and Stoneobryum) and two species:[3][1] She was born in Brunswick, Victoria in Australia in 1913 and was educated at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School, financed by a scholarship.