Gary Joseph Stewart, 79 years old, of Hendersonville, NC went to be with the Lord on Sunday, January 30, 2022 due to Parkinson's disease. 

Gary was born on November 5, 1942 in Watertown, NY to Percy and Mabel Stewart and spent his early years in Owego, NY. Later on, he moved to Syracuse, NY where he graduated from N Syracuse High School and Oneida Community College with a business degree. 

After obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Education from SUNY Brockport, Gary ended up teaching 5th and 6th grades at Greece Central School District (Rochester, NY) for 31 years, as well as working as a volunteer fireman for the North Greece Fire Department. It was here that he met and married Barbara Louise Hepler (also a teacher), and fathered a son, Jseph Walker Stewart. 

Gary was a quiet man of many talents who never bragged or boasted about what he could do well, like growing bountiful gardens of vegetable (which he readily shared with friends and neighbors), or fixing cars or anything else that needed repairing. 

His retirement years were spent between Naples, Florida and Hendersonville, North Carolina, where he volunteered at both police departments and ushered for Flat Rock Playhouse, as well as helping out at Pardee Hospital. Gary also enjoyed spending time with his family hiking, camping, fishing, rafting, visiting zoos, zip-lining, and going on cruises. His favorite pastime was following NASCAR races on TV while rooting for his favorite drivers. 

Gary is preceded in death by his parents, Percy and Mabel Stewart, as well as his older sister, Patricia McTamney. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son, Joseph; and five nieces, Karen, Sandy, Pam, Penny, and Kathy, who will dearly miss him. 

Grateful thanks to his wonderful caregivers at Pardee Hospital, Pardee Home care, Blue Ridge Health and Rehab Facility, and Four Seasons Hospice, plus the people at A Simple Cremation for valuable assistance in planning the final service. We must never forget to thank Pastor Ron and members of The First Alliance Church, plus many other friends and relatives for their prayers, words of comfort, and deeds of kindness during this crucial period of our lives. 

A Celebration of Life Service, followed by a time of meeting and refreshments, will be held on Saturday, March 26 at 11:00 a.m. at First Alliance Church, 1821 Windsor Dr., Hendersonville, NC. We invite those who are unable to attend the service to watch a video live streaming of it on The First Alliance Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, please donate to First Alliance Church or Four Seasons Hospice.