STEWART, Bill

The Record-Courier 16 Nov 2012 Bill Stewart, 78, died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 at the St. Alphonsus Care Center in Baker City, Ore., after a brief fight with lung cancer. He died peacefully with a view of the mountains he loved out the window of his room. A Graveside Memorial will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, 11 a.m. at Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland, Ore. Bill was born on Jan. 3, 1934, in McGrath, Alaska, to John L. Stewart and Anaska Ivola. Bill had two siblings: John Stewart and Evelan Stewart of Alaska. He moved to Baker City as a young boy and would remain in the Eastern Oregon area for the remainder of his life. Bill attended school in Baker City and married Kaylene Hewitt in 1957. The couple had three daughters. In 1967, he moved his family to Richland where he raised his daughters, ran a dairy farm and drove school bus for Pine Eagle School District. After the death of Kaylene in 1980, Bill married Thelma Rinehart. Thelma shared Bill’s love for the outdoors and animals. The two of them spent as much time as they could in the outdoors and had a lot of fun together. He loved to hunt, fish and go camping in the mountains that surround Baker City, Richland and Halfway. Bill also took a lot of pride in his work. He especially loved driving his school bus because he loved kids. His love for kids was confirmed when he suffered a massive stroke while on his route one morning in 1997. He still managed to deliver his precious cargo safely to school. His students remember Bill as a man with a gentle soul, kind heart, but tough when needed. After his stroke, he moved back to Baker where he lived his remaining years. Bill was always smiling and happy to see everyone. With the debilitating stroke, he still made the best of what he had and would make anyone who cared for him happy. Bill was deeply loved by all his caregivers and that love was mutual He was preceded in death by his first wife Kaylene and his second wife Thelma. He leaves behind his three daughters, Pam Turner of Banks, Ore., Margie Johnson of Eugene, Ore., Diane Shields of Redmond, Ore., six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and a multitude of friends. For those who wish to make a memorial donation in memory of Bill may do so to the Pine Eagle School Athletic’s program through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, PO Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.