Donald Houston Stewart, Jr., age 79, died on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads after a long struggle with Inclusion Body Myositis, a degenerative muscular disease. Don was a native North Carolinian, spent his formative years in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine.
Don met Anne Donnelly, his wife of 52 years, at Duke University where he was an intern and she was a student in the School of Nursing. He was a resident at University Hospital, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and did his neurosurgical training at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center. He was a Major in the U.S. Air Force and served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Stewart then started a private medical practice, Lourie, Stewart, and Shende, MD’s, in Syracuse, New York, and was affiliated with both Crouse Hospital and SUNY Upstate Medical Center, where he trained many residents and was well respected as a clinician and surgeon. He was devoted to his patients and demanded high standards of colleagues and staff. Don was committed to malpractice reform and became involved with medical organizations at the county, state, and national levels. He served as President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and Vice President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
In 1993, after retiring due to his illness, he and Anne moved to Arlington, Virginia, where he was a volunteer physician for the Arlington Free Clinic and served on the board of Capital Caring Hospice and the Arlington County Commission on Aging. In addition, he became an avid painter, taking lessons at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and eventually making frequent use of the art center at Goodwin House where he became a talented mouth painter. Don also loved to sew, sail, travel, and entertain family and friends with his unique sense of humor. He was a member of the Cosmos Club and Washington Golf and Country Club.
He was predeceased by his parents, the Reverend Dr. Donald H. Stewart and Mary Howard Turlington Stewart, and his first grandchild, Sarah V. Morefield. He is survived by his wife, Anne Donnelly Stewart; his children, Donald H. Stewart, III (Kate) of Charlotte, NC, Catherine S. Morefield (John) of Mechanicsburg, PA, Diana S. Dempsey (Tom) of Arlington, VA, Sarah S. Amaden (James) of East Hampton, NY; and his grandchildren, Emily and Will Stewart, Annie and Susan Morefield, Catherine, Zeb and Henry Dempsey, and Grace, Carter, J.P. Amaden. They were the light of his life. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Edward T. Stewart (Paula); his niece, Mary Stewart; nephew, Edward Stewart; and their children. Don kept in close contact with many cousins all over the U.S. and Great Britain.
Funeral services will be at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street N.W., Washington, D.C., on Friday, October 10 at 10:30 a.m. There will be a memorial service at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, 3440 S. Jefferson St., Falls Church, VA on Saturday, October 11 at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Don’s name to Capital Caring Hospice, 2900 Telestar Ct., Falls Church, VA 22042, or Goodwin House Foundation, 4800 Fillmore Ave., Alexandria, VA 22311.
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