Lawrence Jones Stewart

LJ Stewart, Jr. died peacefully at his home in Shelby County on Wednesday February 10, 2021, at the age of 91.

A private service will be held for the family at 1 pm Sunday, February 14th.

Friends are invited to join the family for a visitation period from 1:45 pm-3:30 pm at Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham.

Mr. Stewart was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. LJ (Lillie) Stewart, Sr., his brother (D.B.), and sister (Willoden), along with his first wife of 37 years, Anne Ray Stewart.

Also preceding him in death, was his step-daughter Kendall (David) Hornady, who introduced LJ to his second wife, Dorothy.

Survivors include the aforementioned Dorothy (Dot) Geddert Stewart, to whom he was married for 31 years.

Sons, Steve (Debra) Stewart and Chris (Christy) Stewart, and one daughter, Cindy Stewart, along with step-daughters, Kris (Chris) Black and Kim (Tim) Richards, and one sister, Martha (Howard) Bialas.

Mr. Stewart also leaves behind 14 grandchildren, along with 11 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and an accumulation of more friends than could be counted.

Mr. Stewart was born on August 7, 1929. After growing up in Clanton, AL and then moving to the Birmingham area, LJ would graduate from Fairfield High School.

Soon after graduation, Mr. Stewart became an employee of Birmingham-Southern Railroad, and would remain there for more than 35 years. Following a brief retirement period from the railroad, he would embark on a second career with America’s First Federal Credit Union.

Mr. Stewart would spend most of his adult life as a member of the United Methodist Churches in Fairfield and Monroeville, where he not only served in leadership roles, but thoroughly enjoyed his time as a member of the church choirs.

While he played football and basketball in high school, Mr. Stewart spent much of his early adult life coaching at the Fairfield and Forest Hills Ballparks. So many of his former players have reached out over the years, to share their appreciation for the time he devoted to helping young people.