Gary Stewart, of New Castle, DE, passed away peacefully at home in the arms of his loving wife on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, just 10 days shy of his 73rd birthday.
Gary was born in Wilmington, DE, on July 17, 1953, and was raised in and around New Castle, DE, where he resided the majority of his life. An engineer by trade and at heart, he spent many years at the Chambers Works facility in New Jersey and finished out his career in the Newark office of KBR engineering, from which he retired with the position of Process Control Design Engineer Supervisor in 2019.
A dedicated father, Gary always rose to the occasion wherever, whenever, and however his children or grandchildren needed him to and tried to live his life by example and with intention for them all. He worked hard, loved fiercely, and lived life on his own terms and without apology. Many of his favorite memories were of family vacations on Chincoteague Island, VA, most notably the one with a deep-sea fishing charter dubbed “tunapocalypse”, where 250 pounds of tuna were caught. His desire was to live on his beloved island after retirement, but sadly the universe had other plans when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and rendered that dream untenable. He was an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan, although he always pronounced it “Iggles”, much to the amusement of the family. He enjoyed traveling to visit kids and grandkids, going to NASCAR races, camping, listening to music and going to concerts, fixing things, tinkering in his garage, solving problems, and was uncannily gifted at untangling knots, which he saw as personal challenges. This past fall, he rescued two kittens from Island Kitties Rescue in Chincoteague and enjoyed many hours watching Finnegan Fergus and Fiona Mae grow. His most favorite pastime of all, however, was tormenting his wife, a passion he pursued with unmitigated zeal and glee. He was the love of her life, her soul mate, and she will forever mourn for her Darling Blue-Eyed Irish Boy.
Gary is survived by his wife Sherri Lynn Stewart, and children Jessica Stewart of Trenton, SC, Melissa Stewart Beauregard (Virginia) of Denver, CO, Samuel Stewart of New Castle, DE, and Molly Stewart Fuentes (Jonathan) of Wilmington, DE; grandchildren Jonathan, Lincoln, Lennon Lynn, Hailey, Brianna, Adrian, Arkin, Chaz, Teddy, and Ellie Rae; sister Janet Angeline and brother Hugh Stewart; numerous nieces and nephews; and sisters-in-law Judy Ramsdell and Carol Coleman for whom he cared deeply. He was preceded in death by his parents Clinton Harvey Stewart and Margaret Mary (Scully) Stewart, his brothers Clinton Harvey Jr. and Edward Joseph, sister Margaret (Peggy) Greenplate, and good friend/partner in crime Joe Kaczmarczyk.
The family wishes to thank Compassionate Care Hospice of Newark, DE, for all their outstanding personnel who made it possible for us to care for Gary at home in his final days as he requested. They truly provide invaluable services to families during an exceedingly difficult time.
Per his wishes, there will be no services
For online condolences visit www.mccreryandharra.com
