Duane Douglas "Stu" Stewart, 77, of Lake of the Woods, Locust Grove, died Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, at home after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family.
Duane was born May 12, 1932, on a small farm in northern Wisconsin to Robert and Minnette Stewart. He was the fifth of eight children born in the Stewart family.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Jo; daughter Patti Kelly and husband Larry of Southport, N.C.; daughter Kathy Koeser and husband Ken of Poolesville, Md.; four grandsons, Ryan Kelly of Tallahassee, Fla., and Kevin, Kristian and Samuel Koeser of Poolesville, Md. He is also survived by two brothers, Keith and Lloyd, and two sisters, Mary Lou Brandt and Helen Rohde; sister-in-law Gladys Southern of Lake of the Woods; many loving nieces and nephews; and many wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by his son Robert; his parents; two brothers, Robert and Glenn; and one sister, Kathryn Minnette Jepsen.
Throughout his long life, he was a member of several Lutheran churches. For the last several years, he was an active member of The Lake of the Woods Church.
Duane served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force before entering civil service with the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. He retired from federal service in 1987 after 35 years of combined service, and subsequently had a part-time career in real estate sales for several years.
Duane and his wife retired to Lake of the Woods from the Northern Virginia area more than 20 years ago and have loved living in this community. They spent many happy years enjoying golf and square dancing together.
Duane was especially proud of his family history of military service to his country.
His father, Robert, served in the U.S. Army during World War I, being seriously wounded on the battlefield, and, as a result of his injuries, lost a leg. His father walked with the aid of crutches the rest of his life. His brother, Glenn, and his brother-in-law, Buck Jepsen, both served in Europe during World War II during some of the heaviest fighting. His brother Keith served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, reaching the highest enlisted rank attainable, chief master sergeant.
His son-in-law, Retired Army Col. Larry Kelly, served in many theaters, including Vietnam, and was commander of the Army's first Multiple Launch Rocket System Battalion at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
A memorial service to celebrate Duane's life will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, at The Lake of the Woods Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Lake of the Woods Fire & Rescue Service, 104 Lakeview Parkway, Locust Grove, Va. 22508, or to Mary Washington Hospice, 5012 Southpoint Parkway, Fredericksburg, Va. 22407.
Online guest book is available at johnsoncares.com.