William Howard Stewart

Born in New Lexington, Ohio, on the 27th of February 1935 to Joe C. Stewart and Ruth Redmon Stewart, the family moved to Brunswick in 1938. He was graduated from Glynn Academy in 1952 and enlisted in the US Army, seeing service in the Panama Canal Zone.

Bill met Clara Jean Thornton at the Saint Simons Island Casino while on leave in 1953. They were married on the 26th of November 1955 and soon welcomed the birth of their first daughter, Beverly Diane, on the 17th of September 1956. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, the family moved to Athens to attend the University of Georgia, and where Bill and Clara welcomed their second daughter, Ida Elizabeth, on the 22nd of July 1958.

Receiving a BBA in Accounting in 1960, Bill moved his family to Atlanta where he worked for the Arthur Anderson accounting firm and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1962. The family then returned to Brunswick, where Bill assumed control of his father’s accounting firm. Bill’s high ethical standards, straight talk, attention to detail, and keen grasp of facts earned him great esteem in the business community and with his clients. He held several leadership positions in the community, including directorships on the boards of the Brunswick News, The Coastal Bank, Brunswick Memorial Hospital, and Lang Building Supply. Bill also served on the Draft Board, was an adjunct instructor in accounting at Brunswick Junior College, and led the efforts to establish Frederica Academy, serving on its board for several years. Leading the election effort for Mack Mattingly’s 1980 run for the US Senate, Bill served as Mack’s campaign manager and then he and Clara moved to Washington DC to serve as Mack’s chief of staff. Bill left Washington to return to his accounting firm in Brunswick in 1986 and finished his long career of business leadership with First American Health Care as Chief of Staff and serving on its board of directors, retiring in 1997.

In addition to his business acumen and political wiles, Bill was a voracious reader and notable authority of history, with particular interests in the Second World War and the War for Southern Independence and was an advocate for preserving the charms of Brunswick’s historical buildings. During countless family trips throughout Georgia, he ensured that his daughters visited every highway historical marker and battlefield in the state and throughout the Southeast. The family took advantage of our great treasures of heritage found in our State Parks and National Parks and ensured that his daughters knew well the joys of camping, hiking, and history. He also treated his entire family to a trip to London in 1995 to enjoy a weeklong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. He and Clara further enjoyed extensive traveling throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Russia.

Bill enjoyed for many years playing tennis with his childhood friend the Reverend Dr. John Law and with his daughter Beth. A true gentleman, his motto in life was “you can never be over-dressed”, and he was quick to share his standards on having well-shined shoes, noting the importance that the unseen backs of one’s shoes must always be as highly polished as the more visible portions. He also had a strong affection for canine companions, starting with his childhood dog Screwball who was noted for waiting outside the schoolhouse for his master, and continuing through a long succession of four-footed friends, often to the consternation of Clara. Perhaps his greatest satisfaction in life was seeing both of his daughters continue his example by welcoming many loyal, loving, and often otherwise rejected dogs into their homes

Not content to be merely known as a rabid supporter of the UGA football team, Bill was the driving force behind establishing the Golden Isles Bulldog Club. For decades, Bill and his family attended almost every UGA home game and many away games. To this day his descendants enjoy the same seats in Sanford Stadium that they first procured in 1968.

Predeceased by Clara Thornton Stewart, Bill married Lynn Winchester Stewart on the fourth of February 2017, who survives him, as do his daughters Beverly Fetter (Patrick) and Beth Keeble (John), both now of Athens. Sharing in their grief are Bill’s grandchildren, Renee Keeble Smith (Adam), Austin Keeble (Ines), Claire Fetter (Matthew Grund), Thomas Fetter, and Daniel Fetter (Esther Kim), as well as great-grandchildren Rylie Keeble Miller (David), Holt William Smith, Ford Colin Smith, Carlotta Bell Keeble, Luisa Bell Keeble, and Tyler Grund.

Additional surviving family members include [Lynn’s family]: Janet Brown (Forrest Brown), Mike Maloy (Debbie), Scott Maloy (Gloria), and Jeff Maloy (Kelly). Granddaughter: Emily Alonso (Sebastian)

Grandson: Jack Maloy. Great-grandchildren: Winnie, Lulu, and Eliza Alonso. Several nieces and nephews also survive.

Known to his grandchildren simply as “Bill,” he is forever remembered by many adoring nieces and nephews as “Tonka Bill” for devotedly furnishing them gifts of hefty steel toy trucks every Christmas and birthday. May he rest eternally in the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later announced date. The King and Prince Hotel Retreat Room June 30 from 5–7 o’clock.

Donations in Bill’s memory may be made to Hospice of the Golden Isles, 1692 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA 31525 or Golden Isles Veterans Village, P.O. Box 1884, Brunswick, GA 31521.