Bill Stewart, 89, died March 21, 2012, at the VA Nursing Home in Clarksburg, W.Va., where he had lived for one month.
He was born in Fairmont, W.Va., on Jan. 31, 1923, to Irma McCoy and Hubert Stewart. He had one sister, Alice Rapp of Sistersville, W.Va., who survives him. After high school graduation in 1941, he attended college briefly before he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He served as a bomber pilot flying B-17’s in WWII, and flew 32 missions in the European Theater of the war. He returned home and graduated from Marietta College on the GI Bill. While in school, he met his wife Geraldine Randall, from Mattapoisett, Mass.; they married in 1948. He was employed by Union Carbide at the Sistersville Silicones Plant for most of his career as a chemical engineer. In 1968, the family moved from Sistersville, W.Va., to Marietta. Bill was part of a group who started the first Marietta recycling center and first food co-operative; he was a member of the Unitarian Church. In 1975, he retired from Union Carbide and returned to the Sistersville family farm.
He is survived by his ex-wife, Geraldine Stewart of Oberlin, Ohio, with whom he had eight children, Mike Stewart of Cleveland, Ohio, Cynthia Stewart of Oberlin, Ohio, Jeffrey Stewart (deceased), Barbara Stewart (John Whistler) of Marietta, Patrick Stewart of Marietta, Matthew (Kelli) Stewart of Lewisburg, W.Va., Eric Stewart of Oberlin, Ohio, and Benjamin Stewart of Brooklyn, N.Y. He also had four grandchildren, Heather (Ben) Stewart Harvey, Josephine Stewart, Nora Stewart and Adam Randall Stewart; and one great-grandchild, Oscar Stewart Harvey.
The family would like to thank Verna, Bruce, Valerie and the dedicated staff at Hannah’s House Assisted Living for the care and love they gave Dad in the last four years of his life. Bill donated his body to the WVU Human Gift Registry of WVU School of Medicine.
A family gathering is planned at a later date. Memorial contributions in honor of William Stewart may be made to Marietta Recycling Center, 218 Putnam St., Marietta.