Major General John K. Stoner, Jr., was born in Woodbury, New Jersey. He graduated from Drexel Institute of Technology and received a Regular Army commission through the Reserve Officers Training Corps in July 1951 as a Second Lieutenant, Artillery.

Major General Stoner completed the Chemical Corps School Advanced Course and served in Korea. Other tours of duty included a year in Vietnam with the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army in Washington, D.C., and Commanding Officer of Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas and Commanding Officer of Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. From 1973 to 1976, he commanded the U.S. Army Materiel Management Agency in Germany, and was Commanding General, 2d Support Command (Corps) in Europe.

Major General Stoner then became the first Commanding General of the Communications-Electronics Materiel Readiness Command (CERCOM) and served in that capacity until his retirement in June of 1980.