James David “Jim” Stewart passed away on May 5, 2025, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Illinois in hospice care after a brief illness having lived an incredibly full life.
Jim was born August 14, 1926, at his family home in East Saint Louis, Illinois to Mary (Goss) Stewart and Edward B. Stewart.
He grew up in East St Louis and often spoke of his friends there and helping his grandma, Emma Goss, with yard work and stoking her wood stove.
After graduating from East St Louis High School in 1944, Jim passed up an appointment to the US Naval Academy and enlisted in the Navy. He served as a radioman on the USS Comet, a troop transport, in the South Pacific. On Jim’s 19th birthday, while in the Port of Seattle, Japan surrendered, and the war was over.
Jim was accepted at the University of Illinois, but when he found out he would be housed on a cot under the bleachers in the gymnasium, he enrolled at Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois, where he met Anna Mae Smith of Wood River, Illinois. They were married on November 3, 1950, in Wood River. Jim graduated from Washington University in 1952.
After college, Jim went to work as a laborer at the Sinclair refinery in Wood River. He worked in the refinery for Sinclair, Clark Oil, and subsequent owners until he retired in 1991 as personnel manager. While working shift work at the refinery, he built his own home in rural Fort Russell Township, doing most of the work himself. He was able to stay in that home for the rest of his life. That property supported a small herd of cattle and a long line of really good dogs.
Vacation time was traveling with the family to National Parks and National Forests, tent camping, and later with a pickup camper. The family traveled to the Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic, and Acadia National Parks and drove the Alaska Highway in the camper. Jim loved to travel. Jim and Anna Mae traveled the world seeing all seven continents and forty nine of fifty states.
Jim’s family joined St Paul Methodist Church around 1957, and he was very active in the church. Jim and Anna Mae were square dancers. Jim was a popular square dance caller around the region. He taught square dance lessons in his basement, and he cut two square dance records. He was a private pilot and aircraft owner. He was an active Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a Master Gardener. He was an avid golfer and aced #12 at Belk Park on two different occasions.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Edward Stewart and his brother Robert E. Stewart of Shreveport, La. He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Anna Mae (Smith) Stewart, daughter Deborah Stewart of Champaign, Il, son David (J.D. Stewart, Jr.) and Kim of Casper, Wy. There are 7 grandchildren: Rachel (Kelly) McPheters, Sarah (Peter) Laufersweiler, Andrew (Kiersten) Stewart, Charles Stewart, Ian Anderson, Lisa Stewart and Emily Stewart. There are 5 great grandchildren: Logan, William and David Laufersweiler, and Grace and Claire McPheters. We will miss Jim, Dad, Grampy, G Pa, Pop and we will celebrate his life with some sadness for his passing and some joy for a life well lived.
Services will be Thursday, May 15th at St Paul United Methodist Church in Rosewood Heights.
Visitation will be at 10:00. Services will be at Noon.
Interment at Woodland Hill Cemetery with a reception to follow at the church.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to St Paul UMC .
Arrangements are being made by Marks Mortuary in Wood River. Go to MarksMortuary.com.
