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To honor, recognize, and celebrate the life of Mr. Lawrence Stewart Jr. and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on the occasion of his passing, Monday, November 26, 2018.
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WHEREAS, Mr. Lawrence Stewart Jr. passed away peacefully on Monday, November 26, 2018, surrounded by family and some of his dearest friends; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lawrence Stewart Jr., affectionately called “Stu” by his friends and family, was born on August 17, 1945 in Columbus, Ohio to the union of Mr. Lawrence Stewart, Sr. and Mrs. Pauline Stewart - growing up on the west side of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stewart attended West High School where he played basketball, football and ran track; graduating in 1963; from there he began his college education at The Ohio State University; however, the Lord had other plans for his life; his childhood friend Jimmy Bradley encouraged him to transfer to Oakwood University located in Huntsville, Alabama - while at Oakwood Stu was elected Vice-President of the Student Government Association and in 1969 was nominated for Mr. Oakwood College -Oakwood University proved to be a blessing for Stu on a number of levels: his love of sports, competition, and people paved the way for his remarkable and benevolent life - his relationships, friendships and rich experiences at Oakwood led him to become an Adventist; and he had an opportunity to participate in the many rivalries which were developed from their championship games - however his greatest blessing proved to be his beautiful wife, the former Rita Scott who was introduced to him by his roommate Mr. Jerry Foster, affectionately now known as Uncle Jerry - Rita is Jerry’s first cousin - Stu and Rita began dating and married on March 19, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan - a union that lasted 46 years - Stu would graduate from Oakwood in 1971; and
WHEREAS, After Oakwood Mr. Stewart began a career as a pharmaceutical salesman - a field that he would work in for over 30 years; he worked at Warren-Teed Laboratories from 1972-75 and at Roche Laboratories from 1975-1999 - His conscientious work ethic won him the admiration of his colleagues, friends, and family; He would often take his children with him to work; He lived the example of going above and beyond the call of duty in everything he did; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stewart understood the importance of serving others - he was an active member of his church where he served as an elder, a member of the finance committee, and a deacon; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stewart also developed a passion for working with young people - Many parents knew how serious he was about training and developing their children because they would get calls from him early in the morning - He would go on to coach and play basketball for 30 years - He also coached soccer, was Pathfinder director, teacher, tutor, and mentor - He truly enjoyed teaching young people about life, and was always there to give advice and lend a helping hand; many lives were touched by his kindness, work ethic, dedication, perseverance, love, and selflessness; he enjoyed talking to teenagers about their lives and what was relevant to them; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stewart understood the value of love, even in the seemingly minor moments of his life; constantly showing consideration and understanding to those he touched; through his example he demonstrated an unending example of unconditional love and how compassion has the power to affect change - Stu is survived by Rita Stewart (wife), Julian Stewart (son), Denise and McKinley Crockett (daughter and son-in-law), Jamil Cassimy (grandson), Kennedy & Kristen Crockett (granddaughters), Melvin and Pat Stewart (brother and sister-in-law), Shirley Howard (sister), Edwin and Rita Stewart-Lynum (sister and brother-in-law,) Wilford Harrington (brother-deceased), Thelma Scott (mother-in-law), Delores Hill (sister-in-law), Deborah Williams (sister-in-law) and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby honor, recognize, and celebrate the life of Mr. Lawrence Stewart Jr. and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on the occasion of his passing, Monday, November 26, 2018.