Lawrence Gorden Stewart

Lawrence Gorden Stewart, born July 17, 1933, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 with his wife and children by his side in Apex, NC. Known as “Larry” to many and as “Gorden” to his family and the friends he grew up with, he was the second of six children born to Leonard J. and Bertha G. Stewart in Pensacola, FL.

Larry took delight in many things over the years, including boating on his houseboat, the "Aqua Vista", golfing, traveling to 47 different countries, spending time with his family and his chihuahua, Gringo, and eating crawfish, raw oysters, and fried mullet.

After spending his childhood in Pensacola, Larry earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and a Ph.D. from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Larry joined the Army at 17 years old, was stationed in Germany, and honorably discharged in 1953. After starting a civil service career at NAS Pensacola, he moved to Texas where he continued his education and career in defense-related work, as an aerospace researcher at Brooks Field and Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. He later moved to the U.S. Air Force and DoD Command in the Pentagon, Washington, DC. After earning a White House Fellowship in 1973, Larry embarked upon a new career in energy, working as manager of Energy Forecast and Economics for Shell Oil Company in Houston, TX. He then returned to Washington to help develop the country’s first federal energy policy, serving as Director of Planning and Operations for the Atomic Energy Commission as well as the Divisional Director in Energy Conservation for the Energy Research Development Administration (ERDA), the agency which preceded the Department of Energy. He retired in 1981 from the DOE as the Director and Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy. After “retiring”, Larry moved to Khartoum, Sudan to help that African nation develop its energy infrastructure and resources, and to blueprint its own energy policy agency. Larry then returned to Pensacola, where he built and operated two successful environmental engineering and dredging companies for 15 years, finally selling the businesses and fully retiring in 1999.

He is survived by his wife, Revonda E. Stewart; his four children, Patricia S. Silverman (Robert) of McLean, VA, Lawrence G. Stewart, Jr. (Sandra) of Atlanta, GA, Christopher G. Stewart (Amanda) of Apex, NC, and Gregory L. Stewart (Julia) of Birmingham, AL; six grandchildren, Elliott Silverman, Bennett Silverman, Stephanie Stewart, Davis Stewart, Finn Stewart, and Corinne Stewart; and five siblings, Leonard "Jack" Stewart, Blanche Butler, Julia "Vonnie" Davis, Joe Stewart, and Marilyn Kirkman.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 19th from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel, with funeral services to follow at 2:00 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to East Brent Baptist Church.

BAYVIEW FISHER-POU CHAPEL, 3351 Scenic Highway is entrusted with arrangements.

Condolences may be offered at www.bayviewfisher-pouchapel.com.