Obituary of George Stewart

George Noel Stewart, 85, died at his home in Plainfield, NJ on October 11, 2013. He was born March 28, 1928 in New York, New York to Elnetta and Thomas Stewart of Welch Pole, Jamaica, West Indies. The family returned to Jamaica when George was five years of age. His wife, Adrienne Stewart of Plainfield, his daughter, Diana Stewart Artis of Plainfield, his son, Thomas Underwood Stewart of Bloomington, Indiana, his grandchildren, Maya Alexis Artis and Jackson Alexander Artis of Plainfield, and Savannah and Race Stewart of Bloomington, Indiana, survives George. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Robert Stewart, and sister, Hilda Stewart Chapman, of Welch Pole, Jamaica. George served both of the countries he loved through military service; first in England's Royal Air Force (1943-1945) where he fought in Okinawa during World War II, and afterward in the U.S. Air Force (1948-1952). Returning to New York, George earned a Bachelor of Arts from New York University and a Master's of Business Administration from Fordham University. Dedicating his accounting career to IBM, George worked for 27 years, holding positions of Eastern Regional Manager and Internal Auditor. He was a lifetime member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and in recent years continued to serve his community as Verger at the St. Luke's Episcopal Church. George will be remembered, by all who knew him, for his steadfast devotion to family, unswerving commitment to Church and country, and his no-nonsense work ethic. To his grandchildren who lived with him, George gave his values, his time, his pride, and his heart. He impressed on them the value of education, and supported their talents and interests from classroom to concert hall to athletic field. George considered his family his greatest life blessing. His embrace of family stretched far and wide. While he had not lived in Jamaica for many years, George remained a trusted and loved member of his extended family, and was deeply devoted to the family into which he married. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mr. Stewart's memory may be sent to the Pingry School Annual Fund, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.