Obituary of James Edward Stewart

James Edward Stewart of Morgantown, 76, passed away on March 28, 2021. With the loving support of his family, Jim coped with the effects of Parkinson’s disease for 15 years. He was able to remain in his Suncrest home until early March and spent the last month of his life, comfortable and very well cared for, at the Madison Center. Jim was born on February 19, 1945, in Clarksburg. The youngest of three boys, Jim was doted upon and adored by his parents, grandparents, and older brothers, Harold and Jerry. As an adult, he loved to pick up a bag of freshly baked pepperoni rolls at D’Annunzio’s bakery and drive around his old stomping grounds in the close-knit neighborhood of Northview, pointing out landmarks and regaling his own children with tales from his childhood. All roads eventually led up the hill to Northview Park where Jim and a coterie of friends had played pick-up basketball games to the point of obsession. As a senior at the old Victory High School in Clarksburg, Jim was honored as “Most Likely to Succeed.” He served as manager for the Victory High School sports teams, but based on his success at shooting hoops with his buddies, Jim had the sheer audacity to try out for the WVU basketball team as an incoming freshman and improbably made the first cut. Never mind that the second cut didn’t go quite as well. Jim entered WVU as a mechanical engineering major in 1963 and enjoyed college very much but had no means to fund tuition and room and board for his upcoming sophomore year. He returned to Clarksburg on tenuous footing—at that time, college students were not drafted—and worked for 15 months as an advertising salesman at the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram. Just when Jim was preparing to reenroll in college, he received that infamous letter from President Lyndon Baines Johnson: “Greetings! You are hereby ordered to report for induction into the U.S. Army on September 1, 1965.” Jim shipped out to Vietnam on June 6, 1966. His company was assigned to Camp Holloway, located in the Central Highlands, near the city of Pleiku. He worked on turbine engines of Chinook helicopters. Jim wrote many upbeat, cheerful letters home to assuage his parents’ worries and his mother, Dorothy, kept herself busy baking and sending scads of her special blonde brownies around the world to Jim and his barracks-mates. Like many Vietnam veterans, Jim did not talk much about the war. But, once, as a class assignment, his then 12-year-old daughter Ida interviewed her dad about his experiences in Vietnam. Jim revealed that while he was guarding the base perimeter virtually alone one night, Camp Holloway was attacked by Viet Cong mortar fire, which demolished several helicopters very near the make-shift bunker where he was hunkered down. At dawn, when the harrowing barrage seemed to be over, Jim ventured back to his sandbagged tent barracks, where he was surprised to be met by joyous hugs, cheers and applause. His comrades feared that he had not survived the night. Jim was discharged on June 5, 1967, having earned the National Defense and Vietnam Service Medals, as well as the Vietnam Campaign Medal. Back at WVU in the fall of 1967, Jim was confused by the anti-war sentiment which included protests near his campus room. Feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle, Jim dutifully attended classes and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in math and then a master’s degree in computer science. But, all the while, he dedicated his free time to playing pool at the Mountainlair (winning a university championship) and learning to master his acoustic guitar under the guidance of his College Avenue housemate and friend for life, Braun Hamstead. Music had always been an important part of his life: Jim’s mother was an excellent pianist, and as a child, Jim often accompanied her on the drums during church performances. As a young adult, finding his feet back in college after the war, music became Jim’s passion. He had a special affinity for the music of Bob Dylan, John Prine, James Taylor, John Denver, Donovan Leitch, Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins. Soon, Jim was playing his guitar and singing folk songs and his own original compositions, solo or in a dynamic duo with Braun, almost every weekend at the legendary Morgantown coffeehouse, “The Last Resort,” on Spruce Street. It was there on August 30, 1969, that Jim met his future wife, Johanna Fisher, on the first weekend of her freshman year. Johanna had come to the Last Resort with her older brother Martin, who was eager to introduce her to the popular coffeehouse experience and managed to find seats at a table with his former housemates, Jim and Braun. Among the songs Jim sang that night were Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Johanna was struck by this older fellow’s charisma and vibrant performance—and his remarkable sense of humor, as Jim and his friends kept one-upping each other with jokes between sets. Johanna recalls that she had never laughed so hard in her young life. Jim was employed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on Willowdale Road, Morgantown, from 1971 through 1980, and led the computer division at EG&G Technical Services, Inc. on Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, from 1980 to 1988. In 1988, Jim joined forces with Johanna, an attorney, to develop and administer the first bar examination preparation course at the WVU College of Law. As an independent contractor for SMH Bar Review and later BarBri Bar Review for 24 years, Jim was dedicated to the well-being of his students. His calm wisdom, practical knowledge and levity kept the lawyers-to-be on task and successful. Jim felt tremendously fortunate to have found a career that allowed him to work from home—to make breakfast for his kids every morning and see them off to school, and to be there when they returned at the end of the day. Jim was also devoted to his first cousin, Robert Bruce Hutson, an exceptional man with Down Syndrome. After Bobby’s parents passed away, Jim became his legal guardian and incorporated him into the young Stewart family. Jim’s family was the absolute center of his life. In recent years, on holidays and other sweet occasions when all five members of the Stewart family happened to find themselves together in the same room, Jim would get everyone’s attention and say, his eyes sparkling, “Hey, look! We’re all here!” And then he’d sigh: “Ahhh.” More than anything, Jim loved watching his children play and perform: soccer and basketball, concerts, theatre productions, umpteen half-time shows. He cherished even the rehearsals. He was never more proud than watching his sons, Donovan and Dylan, perform in (and later instruct) the WVU Drumline. With his Parkinson’s worsening in early 2010, Jim drove to Indianapolis and back to Morgantown five times to support Dylan's participation in the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. And in the last five years of his life, he was never happier than sitting in his chair, chuckling at the antics of his precious grandchildren, August James and Holland Macrae, and his beloved grand-pup, Denali, as they played at his feet. Jim’s loyal friends and adoring family sustained and strengthened him, and he, them. In the best of times, Jim was brimming over with joie de vivre. And, even in his worst of times, that warm core of positive innate equanimity glowed through. Throughout the pandemic and Jim’s most challenging days of 2021, he maintained an extraordinary light-hearted connection with his devoted protector, his son Donovan. Jim responded warmly to his son’s unwavering kindness, courtesy and instinctive good humor—attributes that Donovan learned, of course, from his father. Jim’s goodness shines through in his children, and they are so glad to think they might resemble him in any way. Jim always knew the right thing to do—and always did it. He always found laughter when it was needed. His favorite line: “These are the good times.” Jim was preceded in death by his extraordinary parents, Harold C. and Dorothy Ann Powell Stewart, and his beloved cousin Robert Bruce Hutson. He is survived by his loving wife, Johanna Fisher Stewart, of Morgantown; daughter, Ida Dorothy Stewart (Brian Creech), of Philadelphia, PA; sons, Donovan James Stewart of Morgantown and Dylan Prell Stewart (Lauren) of Uniontown, PA; grandchildren, August James Creech and Holland Macrae Creech, of Philadelphia, PA; brothers, Harold E. Stewart (Jean) of Clarksburg and Jerry C. Stewart (Penny) of Cumberland, MD; brothers-in-law, James G. Fisher II of Elkins, Martin P. Fisher (Bonnie) of Green Bay, WI, and Neal W. Fisher (Deborah) of Charlotte, NC. Jim adored his precious “noggins,” nieces and nephew, Donna Hall (Dana) of Clarksburg; Diana Hoskinson (“Sonny”) of Bridgeport; Rebecca Grimaldi (Frank) of Hazel Green, AL and David Stewart (Jenny) of White Oak, PA. He was a loving uncle of Johanna’s nieces and nephews, Johanna Fisher Biola (Scott) of Elkins; James G. Fisher III (Gina) of Pittsburgh, PA; Susan Ashley Fisher Alford of Anniston, AL; Derek Fisher (Whitney) of San Angelo, TX; Hannah Fisher Nonarath (James) of Milwaukee, WI; Caroline Fisher (Anthony Peele) of Wilmington, NC and Gratton “Nate” Fisher (Katie) of Beijing, China. He is also survived by grandnieces and grandnephews, Lyndon Hall (Samantha), Abigail Lister (“JD”) and Logan Hoskinson (Kalee) of Bridgeport; Kelsey Ryan (Lunden) of Morgantown; Julia, Seneca and Cecilia Biola of Elkins; Violet and Sylvie Fisher of Pittsburgh, PA; Daley Grace Alford of Anniston, AL; and Huxley, Ciaran, McKinley and Sullivan Fisher of San Angelo, TX, as well as Jim’s four great grandnieces and nephew, Aela and Iris Ryan and Beckham and McCartney Hoskinson. Jim held a very special place in his heart for dear family friends Miriam Franco; Halen, Zoe and Byron Hamstead; Caitlin Parrucci; Max Phillips-Hartley; Alex Kessinger and Noah Klein. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, a date has yet to be scheduled for a celebration honoring Jim’s wonderful life with the music, love and optimism that infused his very being. You can honor Jim’s memory by listening to music that you love and by surprising your family with a dozen doughnuts or pepperoni rolls. Friends who wish to express their sympathy may consider donating to the National Down Syndrome Society or the Vietnam Veterans of America. Send condolences online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com