John Stewart

Mr. John Bruton Stewart, Sr., 93, of Winston-Salem, passed away Monday, January 30, 2023.  Mr. Stewart was born April 20, 1929, in Fayetteville, NC to the late Albert Stewart, Sr. and Winnie Davis Bruton.

He was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff of AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he contributed to numerous government defense projects of a 40-year career, including rocket guidance, underwater sound localization and tracking, and reliability engineering.  Mr. Stewart retired in 1995 from AT&T’s Guilford Center near Greensboro.

Mr. Stewart was a graduate of NC State, Northwestern, and Rutgers Universities.  He was a member of several academic fraternities and president of his social fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau.  An active church member, he served as a deacon in the First Presbyterian Church of Winston-Salem; as a member of the Administrative Board of Mendham United Methodist Church in Mendham, NJ; as a deacon in the First Christian Church of Greensboro, NC; as elder in Trinity Presbyterian Church of Winston-Salem; and was a recent member of Highland Presbyterian Church.  At one time he was also a member of the Piedmont Kiwanis Club.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Stewart is preceded in death by his loving wife of 63 years, Rev. Patricia Fredriksen Stewart; brother, Albert Stewart, Jr. (Mary); sister, Mary Warner (Charles); and son-in-law, John Heath.  He is survived by two daughters, Lyn Stewart Heath and Kristin Stewart Stubbs (Brian); two sons, Rev. John B. Stewart, Jr. (Suecia) and Michael F. Stewart (John Perrone); six grandchildren: Jennifer Edmondson (Nate), Cate Stewart (Aaron), Tyler Rice (Nicole Lanzone), Connor Rice, Ashley Rice, and John B. Stewart III; and three great-grandchildren: Cole Edmondson, Karen Edmondson, and Kendall Edmondson.

Mr. Stewart was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and he was blessed with an affectionate circle of friends.  He had an inquisitive mind, a reverent awe and wonder of the universe, and a humble gratitude for the loving and saving Grace of God.  Mr. Stewart had many interests, including amateur radio (call sign AB2R), astronomy, anthropology, religion, birdwatching, gardening, social bridge, reading good books, and listening to good music.  Among his greatest pleasures were learning new things, especially about science and religion, being with friends, and vacationing at the beach, especially at Emerald Isle and the Outer Banks.

A celebration of life service will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, March 11th at Salemtowne Retirement Community, in the Community Center Saal, with Rev. Randy Harris officiating.  The family will receive friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Highland Presbyterian Church, 2380 Cloverdale Ave NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27103; Salemtowne Retirement Community, 190 Moravian Way., Winston-Salem, NC 27106; or to any charity of the donor’s choice.