James Haywood Stewart of Waco, Texas, lost his long battle with Alzheimer’s on February 21, 2017, in Sanibel, Florida, with family by his side. The funeral service will be held 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 3, at Highland Baptist Church, Waco. Rev. Barry Camp will officiate. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m., Thursday, March 2, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Jim was born in Waco on February 18, 1941, to Joseph and Era Orr Stewart. He graduated from Waco High School in 1959, and began his career as a realtor with Ed Ware in 1965. He then formed his own company known as Jim Stewart Realtors in 1970. In 1975 Earl Patrick, long time president of Jim Stewart Realtors, joined him. Earl says, “After nearly 42 years in business together, I would describe our partnership as a partnership made in Heaven. Although God made us completely different, we could not have worked better together. We had tremendous love and respect for one another. He was not only a partner and a friend, but a brother in Christ. We agreed in the beginning that this was God’s company and He blessed us tremendously.” Jim served as President of the Board of Realtor in 1973, and was also named Realtor of the Year in 1974. He was involved in numerous civic organizations during his professional career. Jim was a long time member of Highland Baptist Church, where he served as chairman of the deacons and on the Board of Elders. Jim enjoyed fishing and boating with his family and friends, watching his grandchildren play sports, attending Baylor Bear athletic events, and you could always find him on Thursday afternoons at Ridgewood Country Club playing golf with his dear friends. Jim is survived by his wife, Margot Jan Jones; 3 daughters, Jennifer Lynn Grove of Lebanon, Oregon, and her 4 children, Tyler and wife, Aubrey, Haley and husband, Lane, Megan and Emily; Penni Lee Colston and her husband, Terrance, and her 3 children, Marissa, Sean and Devyn; Melissa Ann Frazier and her husband, Thomas, and their 2 sons, Braden and wife, Carla, and Bryce and his wife, Courtney; 11 great grandchildren; his brother, William Stewart; his sisters, Susan Curry and Sandy Horne; and nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be his dear friends, Earl Patrick, Louie Englander, Artie Giotis, Bland Cromwell, Brad Davis and Scott Baird. Honorary pallbearers will be his 9 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association of Waco, 710 N. 64th Ste 2, Waco TX 76710. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jim Stewart, please visit our flower store.