September 15, 1945 - January 30, 2021
John Wesley (DeGeere) Stewart faced the only challenge he ever met that he couldn’t overcome and succumbed to complications from pneumonia and COVID-19 on January 30. On September 20 John experienced a burst aneurysm that led to a severe stroke. Doctors at MCR stabilized him and flew him to Anschutz Medical Center in Aurora for specialized care. The following four months brought brain surgery, multiple bouts of pneumonia, and treatment in eight hospitals.
Finally, in January he began to regain his strength, gradually walking again and entertaining staff at the rehab hospital with his storytelling and with his excitement over the success of his favorite football team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and their upcoming game in the Super Bowl. Then he was diagnosed with a recurrence of lung issues. Weakened by the bouts of pneumonia, he contracted COVID-19 and soon fell into a coma. John held on until his family could gather for their final good byes.
John was born in Kansas City, Kansas, to Zelma Louise (Jett) DeGeere and Robert Wesley DeGeere on September 15, 1945. Growing up in Kansas City, Kansas, he played endless baseball games and other activities with his friends. Eight years later, his sister, Becky, was born. John loved teasing his little sister and tormenting her and her friends with his (and his friends) pranks.
After his father abruptly left the family, other dads in his neighborhood became his surrogate fathers. John developed the strength of character that guided him for the rest of his life and led to his many successes.
Three years later, John’s mother remarried, and John agreed to be adopted by her new husband, Jack Allen Stewart, becoming John Wesley Stewart. Another life-altering event occurred that year when he met a neighbor, Betty Hansen. John and Betty dated for five years and were married in 1966.
John attended Kansas City, Kansas, Community College, transferring to the University of Kansas his junior year, where Betty was a student. They both earned degrees in Elementary Education; John graduated as one of only three men in the elementary education program at that time.
John’s budding career as a teacher was interrupted when he was drafted and sent to Vietnam in 1969. While he arrived in Vietnam as a light infantryman, he used his wits and personality to secure a position as a Casualty Clerk. His adored daughter, Rebecca Lynn, was born during his time there; he was devastated to miss her birth.
After Vietnam, John’s military obligation was completed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Betty and baby Rebecca joined him, and they all fell in love with Colorado.
John secured an early release from active duty to return to college. He was accepted into the Masters in Education program at the University of Kansas, completing that degree and then a Doctorate Degree in Education Administration thanks to support from the GI Bill. During these years, sons Scott Allen and David Raymond were born, and John thus became the proud papa of three bright, talented, children.
John served as an elementary school principal in Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Kansas, and as Director of Elementary Education in Grandview, Missouri. Always looking for opportunities to return to Colorado, John sought a position in the Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado, in 1987, where he became Director of Human Resources and, in a few years, assistant superintendent.
John continued to develop his skills in education by training in collaborative decision-making, and he asked Betty to receive the training as well. Eventually, he retired from the school district to become an education consultant. Together, John and Betty worked with school districts and community groups across the country, from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana, to the Natrona County School District in Casper, Wyoming, several districts Wisconsin and Oregon, and in the Redmond and Bellevue districts in the Seattle area. After Betty returned to school to complete her masters’ degree and doctorate in education; John joked that they were a pair-a-docs.
John also taught classes as an adjunct professor in Education Administration at the University of Northern Colorado, focusing on school law and helping to prepare a new generation of education leaders.
In recent years John became an avid Rotarian, serving as president, treasurer, and chair of countless committees. He also volunteered for several other organizations, and his family joked that he replaced his full time paid work with full time volunteer work because he just loved to be involved in serving the community and because he thrived on being busy.
Combining their love of travel with their love of meeting new people, Betty and John joined Home Exchange. Soon their circle of friends included people from throughout the U.S. to New Zealand, Iceland, and the Czech Republic.
John leaves behind Betty, his beloved wife of 54 years, his adored children and their spouses and children -- Rebecca and Matt Hirsch (Aspen, Sky, Ember, Misty), Scott and Robyn Stewart (Jacob, Cameron, Eliot, Wesley), and David and Sara Stewart (River, Eli, Phoenix, Allen); his dear sister Becky Spradlin and her husband Don (Josh and Jacob); his “adopted” son Robert Middien and his wife Elizabeth (Olivia, Thomas, Poppy); half siblings Bob DeGeere, Mary Baker, Karen Dickson, Sheryl Garcia and their families, many nephews and nieces, and countless friends. He also leaves his grieving dog Emy, his constant lap companion, and his sweet dog Piki, who misses all the snacks that John sneaked to him.
A celebration of John’s life is scheduled for his birthday, September 15, 1:00 pm, at Sylvan Dale Ranch, a beautiful setting west of Loveland along the Big Thompson River. People always remember John’s smile, his friendliness, his love of life, and his jokes. Therefore, friends are invited to share their favorite John stories or jokes/puns and to wear a shirt in John’s honor that reflects one of his many passions – Rotary (especially the Duck Race), the KC Chiefs, the Kansas Jayhawks, or Gonzaga basketball.
