Ray E. Stewart

Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Joel and Lula Stewart; son, David Stewart; and grandson, Justin Waldroop; five brothers and two sisters.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Shirley Oldham Stewart; daughters, Debbie Jones and husband Darrell of Fort Smith, Laura Waldroop and husband Lee of Fort Smith, and Becky Phillips of Bryant, Arkansas. He has nine grandchildren, Christopher Stewart and wife of Oklahoma City, Sean Stewart of Pennsylvania, Ashley Rivera and husband of Charlotte North Carolina, Reed Snider and wife of Fort Smith, Brooks Snider of Denver, Colorado, Payton Phillips, Megan Phillips, Brynn Phillips and Kaitlin Phillips, all of Bryant Arkansas. He has six great-grandchildren and one on the way.

Ray was a member of Grand Avenue Baptist Church of Fort Smith where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher for many years. He served for 16 years as a City Director of Fort Smith, Vice Mayor of Fort Smith for 12 years, and Quorum Court of Sebastian County for 14 years. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Williams Baptist College in Paragould Arkansas, as well as served on the Board of Directors for Area Agency on Aging in Fort Smith. Ray spent many years as a grocery store owner of 3 local hometown markets and also as a poultry farmer. After retiring, he worked and served as a Funeral Director for Edwards Funeral Home in Fort Smith.

The family will visit with friends and loved ones on Monday, October 7, from 5:00-7:00pm at the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel in Fort Smith. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, October 8 at 2:00pm at Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Smith. Burial will be immediately following the service at Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Hamilton House Child Safety Center or Grand Avenue Baptist Church Music Department.

To leave an online memory, visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com