Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series:
Tribute
Folder:
DIG
Item:
23654
Title:
Charles H. Stewart
Date:
2/12/1920-5/28/2017
Creator:
Inscription/Marks:
2/12/1920
Summary:
Charles H. Stewart died peacefully at his home in Grafton ND on May 28, 2017 at the age of 97.
Charles was born on Feb. 12, 1920 in Drayton, ND to Herbert A. and Sigre (Carlson) Stewart. He graduated from Grafton High School in 1941. He later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Arts from Ellendale Normal School and continued his education by earning a Master’s Degree from the University of North Dakota in 1970. He married Ora Marie Sprouse, his college sweetheart in June of 1946.
After moving to Mott, ND, Charles began his first teaching job teaching math, science, and coaching basketball. He later moved his family and his teaching skills to the Grafton School system where he was an award-winning Industrial Arts teacher from 1950-1975. He joined the US postal service in 1977 and retired from that in 1990.
The couple welcomed six children into their home and Charles set about teaching them perseverance, personal responsibility, and his children remember him as a devoted and determined father who encouraged them to pursue their goals and work for excellence.
Charles was accomplished at anything requiring active thinking and doing. His mechanical skills led him to restore many old cars and trucks. His architectural, plumbing, wiring, and carpentry skills led him to build the family home in Grafton, the home for his mother-in-law, and the Oak Arbor Mobile Home park. He was a dedicated individual who loved teaching, who was passionate about learning, and who continued his own education and enhanced the education of others.
He was an active and dedicated member of the Walsh County Historical Society 1967-2014, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Toastmasters, Kiwanis president 1998-1999, Retired Teachers president 2001-2002, Grafton City Council 1983-1993, and often volunteered at the Minto Museum, Heritage Village, Meals on Wheels, and was a local weather reporter for Too-Tall Tom Semanksi for a time.
Charles is survived by his children, Terry Burns, Charles D. Stewart, Aprill Hastings, Rock Stewart, Amy Jo Paukert, and Reed Stewart; his sister, Jean Larson; his brothers, Robert and James Stewart; and 17 grandchildren.
Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Ora Marie; and brother, John “Jack” Stewart.
MEMOIR WRITTEN BY ARPILL HASTINGS:
"Hello, I am number three kid; number two daughter.
That was how Dad kept all six of us straight. I am Aprill, and three summers ago Dad called me and said he had a project for me. He wanted to have his story written. Well, when Dad asks us to do something, we have been well-trained to respond with a ‘yes’ and ‘how soon do you need me?” That led to my spending the remaining Wednesdays of the summer of 2014 asking questions, recording Dad’s voice, taking notes, and trying to turn all that into a memoir.
As Dad told his story, two threads or themes emerged. The first one led to the working title, “JUST LUCKY, I GUESS”; the other was a bit subtler. As I reviewed the draft, I found that Dad said, “I like to be doing” over fifteen times. Those two ideas – luck and doing – dominated his life story. While Dad’s story exemplifies these trends, Seneca said it best: “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” I think Dad would agree that his luck was due to preparation and opportunity.
Dad understood the need for preparation – the need to be doing. He was, after all, a natural engineer and everyone knows that it is wisest to “measure twice; cut once.” This innate understanding of preparation influenced Dad’s approach to school. Despite struggling with learning – Dad was dyslexic and reading was problematic – he understood the importance of an education and the life preparation that it could provide. He told me that he got that from his mother, Sigre. She was trained as a teacher, and they were lucky enough to have a 1919 edition of the Book of Knowledge; he read it all. That was a very early form of doing.
Despite studying the Book of Knowledge, school was not easy for Dad. His asthma delayed his start; he was seven when he finally started. He dropped out for a year when he was sixteen but returned and finally graduated from Grafton High School in 1941. He was twenty-one when he finally finished and was drafted into the army. It was in the army that preparation met opportunity on several occasions. His ability to type got him a position as a clerk. Dad’s skills as a carpenter gained him the attention of the officers, and he was commissioned to design a huge conference table complete with small blocks representing troops, tanks, and ships. His high school diploma earned him an opportunity to attend OCS – officers’ training school. Sadly, his asthma flared again, he was hospitalized and medically discharged.
Although saddened by being unable to continue in the army, Dad took the opportunity to return to North Dakota and pursue a higher education. He enrolled in Ellendale Normal School in the fall of 1943. He said he was lucky – because of the war, there were only two men on campus. This shortage of males created a dining problem which was solved by having the two men join the women for meals. It was in that situation that he met our mother. He said, “I heard this voice at the opposite end of the table. I liked what I saw,” he told me, “but was very surprised when she stood up and was so tiny and short. She avoided me, but I asked here to marry me every day for the next eighteen months. I even bought her a ring, but her parents would not agree to our marrying.” Dad told me he waited a full year and was finally allowed to marry her. That marriage in June of 1946 produced us six children, a home in Grafton, many pets, forays into politics, community service, and a legacy of preparation meeting opportunity.
As I neared the end of the summer of 2014, I had to ask the obvious question. When asked what he credited his longevity to, he quipped, “Drink water, no pop. If you must, drink a little whiskey with the water, but no more than two a day. You can drink beer too. Drinking beer is easier. That is one thing that leads to a long life. The other is keeping busy – I like to be doing.”
Our father taught us by example that education is to be pursued, that opportunity is to be embraced, and that family is to be cherished. I think that if we each look at ourselves through Dad’s lens of LUCK and DOING, we will each see that his imprint is strong. We will pass this on to our own, they will pass it on to their own, and in that way Charles H. Stewart will live on."
Red ID: FND_I_74322 Image ID: 530084 Image Notes: FND001 23654
