James Earl Stewart

James was born December 7, 1940 in Howell, Oklahoma, to the late Jule Striplyn and Vernon Lee Stewart. He graduated from Mountain Pine School in Arkansas, and upon graduation, served in the US Air Force in San Antonio, TX, for four years. While serving in the Air Force, James married Phyllis Walker, a marriage that lasted over 50 years, until her death in 2018. After leaving the service, James and Phyllis relocated to Oklahoma City, OK, where he enrolled in Oklahoma Baptist University, graduating with a degree in Theology / Religion.

James entered the banking industry for many years, moving into the Oklahoma Baptist Foundation, which handled the fiduciaries of the Oklahoma Southern Baptist Foundation. James started working with computers while in the Air Force, eventually transitioning the Foundation from paper files to electronic files.

The family then relocated to Raleigh, NC, in the late 80's, where James was employed with the NC Baptist Foundation in Cary, upgrading the entire NC Foundation to digital. James started his own software company, James Stewart & Associates, in the early 1990's, specializing in education management / evaluation software, until his retirement. James was an active member of Creedmoor Road Baptist Church.

James is survived by his sons, Philip Stewart of Burlington, NC, Jay Stewart, of Raleigh; grandchildren, Ainsley and Addison Stewart; sister, Kay Richardson, of Memphis, TN; brother, Roger Stewart of Texas.

A funeral service for James was held Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 2:00pm in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home, officiating was be Rev. Danny Estave. Burial followed in Raleigh Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials in James' name to Creedmoor Road Baptist Church, by using the link below, under 'Donations'.

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