Stewart, John W.

John W. Stewart, 75, of northwest Cedar Rapids, died Monday, June 11, 2012, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy following a short illness. A Celebration of Life Gathering will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, in the Community Room at Unity Center of Cedar Rapids, located at 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Cedar Memorial Westside Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

Survivors include his wife, Sharon Stewart of Cedar Rapids; a son, Neal Stewart (Rhonda) of Arlington, Va.; a daughter, Sara Stewart, and a grandson, Brendan Rains, from Seattle, Wash.; two stepdaughters, Shana (Richard) Giese of Dubuque and Darcy VanDee of Marion; two stepgranddaughters, Caitlin Steele and Emma Giese of Dubuque; and one stepgrandson, Jaden VanDee of Marion.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

John was born Aug. 7, 1936, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of John and Marjorie (Pyle) Stewart. He and Sharon were married on July 16, 1999.

Before retirement he worked as a software engineer for Rockwell-Collins in Cedar Rapids for nearly 50 years. For over 20 of those years he volunteered as a firefighter (five years as fire chief) for the Bertram Township.

He enjoyed woodworking, photography, spending time with his family, and was an active member of the Cedar Rapids Country Friends Dance Club.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Feel free to leave a message on the Web page at www.cedarmemorial.com under ‘obituaries.'

Any donations in John's memory can be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa, www.iowa.wish.org (800) 797-9474.

Published June 17, 2012 in The Gazette