Jerry Lee Stewart Sr.

Jerry Lee Stewart Sr.

St. Paul

Jerry Lee Stewart Sr., 88, of Saint Paul, Iowa, passed away at 7:46 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, at Keota Health Care in Keota, Iowa.

He was born April 11, 1933, in Franklin, Ky., the son of Alfred and Evelean (Mayhew) Stewart. On March 30, 1961, he married Ardith Marie “Ardie” Jones in Waco, Texas. She preceded him in death on July 16, 2016.

Survivors include one son, Jerry Lee Stewart Jr. of Bakersfield, Calif.; four grandchildren, Alexis Stewart, Kinsey Stewart Nigro, Tyler Stewart and Nikki Stewart; five great-grandchildren, Kayson Lee, McKinlee Marie, Jagger Lee, Mason and Dakota; and one stepgrandchild: Daisy. Also surviving are four sisters, Maxine (Larry) Freeman of Bettendorf, Iowa, Wanda (Neil) Watts of Burlington, Iowa, Sandi (Ron) Benge of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and Brenda Baker Stewart of Queen Creek, Ariz. one sister-in-law, Linda Stewart of Pismo Beach Calif.: and five brothers, Jim (Mary Anne) Stewart of Rock Island, Ill., Willie Stewart of West Burlington, Iowa, Rick (Holly) Stewart of Coal Valley, Ill., Don Stewart of Denmark, Iowa, and Gene (Pam) Stewart of MountPleasant, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his wife: Ardie; one son, Terry Stewart; his parents, Alfred and Evelean Stewart; two brothers, Sterling Stewart and Robert Stewart; and sister-in-law, Mary Lou Stewart.

Jerry grew up in Kentucky and entered the Army from Illinois, serving during the Korean War. He worked for the Goodyear Tire store in Burlington early in his career and then moved to Texas. There he started working as a carpenter and married his wife Ardith Marie Jones. They then moved to Santa Maria, Calif., where he became a journeyman carpenter for the next 51 years. Following their retirement, they moved back to Saint Paul, Iowa to be closer to Jerry’s family. Jerry loved late model car racing. He supported his son Jerry Jr. in his racing and was very proud of his son’s accomplishments in his racing career. One of his favorite things to do was to watch old video tapes of past races.

A funeral service was held at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 18, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point with Pastor Aaron Helterbran officiating. Burial will be in the Salem East Cemetery in Salem, Iowa, with full military rites presented by the Henry County Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in his memory for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.