James Raymond (Ray or JR) Stewart, born March 7, 1924 in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, the youngest of 5 children of Charles Albert and Alice Beatrice (nee Webb) Stewart, passed away in his sleep in Penticton on Friday, May 27, 2016 at the age of 92.
Ray is survived by his loving wife of nearly 68 years, Dorothy Irene (Dot) Stewart (nee Norman); his 3 children, Merle (Dale) Marchessault, Jim (Sandy) Stewart and Judy (David) Dingwall; his 6 grandchildren, Michael (Debbie) Marchessault, Andy Stewart, Megan (Doug) Worley, Sean (Tara) Stewart, Steven (Amanda) Dingwall and Mike (Alyssa) Dingwall; his 6 great-grandchildren, Sidney, Samantha and Charlie Worley, Braelie and Deagan Stewart and Hannah Dingwall; 2 step-granddaughters, Brittany and Kate-Lyn Forrest; 3 sisters-in-law, Audrey Harvey, Margaret (Ray) Baillie and Evelyn Stewart; his cousin Marjorie (Dick) Ortner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ray was a veteran of World War II, he volunteered and served with the Regina Rifles. He was injured at the Leopold Canal in Brussels and spent time in Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver. He did not let his injuries hold him back - he always focused on what he could do rather than on what he had lost. He married Dot on July 10, 1948 in Langley, BC and they honeymooned in Penticton and Peachland. They built a house in Langley; had 3 children; moved to Penticton in 1956 and built a house on the West Bench. They moved to White Lake in 1959 when Ray was hired as the caretaker at the White Lake Observatory, a position he held for 25 years. The family has very fond memories of that time - Ray built a tent trailer and took the family across Canada twice. Dot and Ray loved to dance and play bridge and Ray taught duplicate bridge at night school. They were founding members of the Penticton Duplicate Bridge Club. They also enjoyed golfing, taking up the sport prior to retirement, and were Life Members 1 and 2 at Twin Lakes Golf Club. Dot and Ray retired to Summerland where they took on the challenge of renovating an older home and redoing the entire yard. Ray loved to garden and was notorious for the volume and size of the vegetables he produced. He also enjoyed walking.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Bannerman, Dad’s longtime family doctor and Dr. Westby who saw Dad through the last few months of life. Very special thanks to the staff at The Hamlets in Penticton who have treated Dad with respect and compassion during his time there.
No service at Dad’s request. In lieu of flowers a donation to your favourite charity would be appreciated by the family.
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