Beloved Northborough police dispatcher, 36, dies after seven-year battle with cancer

NORTHBOROUGH — Every morning, Northborough police dispatcher Amanda Stone would start her day by calling local seniors to check on them.

But behind what was described as a "cheery voice," Stone, 36, was often working while having a chemotherapy pump attached to her body. Friday, she died after fighting cancer for seven years.

"We offer a R.U.O.K. (Are You OK?) program, where we call seniors every morning to check on them," said Police Chief Brian Griffin . "Amanda was the one who was often responsible for those morning calls. The seniors in town looked forward to hearing her cheery voice. Her morning phone calls put a smile on a lot of our seniors' faces. That's a touching thing I heard from a lot of seniors who said they looked forward to her calls."

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Stone never let the cancer distract her from work, according to Chris Carleton, supervisor of records and communications for the Northborough Police Department .

"She put a smile on her face and people on the other line never knew what's going on in our lives. They had no idea she had been fighting cancer," Carleton said. "She was dedicated to public service. She had that focus: 'I have a job to do and I'm going to come to work and do it.'"

Amanda Stone held criminal justice degree from Anna Maria College

Stone was born in Worcester and had lived in Webster for the past 10 years. She graduated from Anna Maria College in Paxton with a degree in criminal justice and had been a dispatcher since 2012. Her title was assistant communications director.

"Even when we encouraged her to take a couple of days off, she wouldn't do it," said Griffin. "She didn't want to do it. She wanted to be here. She was a dedicated hardworking, positive employee, who despite her health — she was very sick at times — she loved to show up to work. I think it helped distract her."

Despite the physical toll her illness took, Stone never let it affect her job. She was known for arriving to work a half-hour early.

"She was not a complainer," said Carleton. "She would come to work, and she would still be on her A game. I never heard her bitch one time about being sick or ill or saying, 'Why me?' You couldn't ask for a better employee."

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Griffin said Stone had missed work the past couple of weeks after she received bad news about her health.

"About one and a half months ago, she received some more bad news," said Griffin, who was promoted to chief in December . "Her attitude was always she would handle it. She would say, 'We'll handle it and we'll beat it,' and that's what she said again. And she handled it for many years.

"For seven years, she handled it."

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Stone is survived by her fiancé, Matthew Sudjak; her parents, Ladon Burke and Michale Stone; a brother, David Stone; and her paternal grandmother, Janice Stone.

Her funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Paradis-Givner Funeral Home , 357 Main St., Oxford. Calling hours are from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

For those who want to honor her, the family is asking that donations be made to the Second Chance Animal Shelter , P.O. Box 136, 111 Young Road, East Brookfield, in memory of Stone's dog, Tazzy.

Stone's death has affected a lot of those who worked with her on a daily basis, Griffin said.

"She was calm and collective and was a wonderful dispatcher, and more importantly, she was wonderful person inside and out," said Griffin. "Our department is struggling with her loss because we were an extended family. We're hurting from her loss and we're hurting for her family and friends."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMilllerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Beloved Northborough police dispatcher, 36, dies after seven-year battle with cancer