Laura Etta Mixson Stewart

STEWART, LAURA ETTA MIXSON, 95 Gainesville - Laura E. Mixson Stewart, a lifelong resident of Gainesville, died on March 22, 2007, at the age of 95. She was born in Gainesville on September 6, 1911, and was predeceased by her parents, Samuel M. and Laura Etta Douglas Mixson, and by her two sisters and three brothers. She was married to the late Joseph DeWitt Stewart for 39 years. Mrs. Stewart was a long-time member of First Baptist Church. She attended Gainesville High School with the class of 1929. In December of 2005, Laura was crowned Homecoming Queen at the Gainesville High School Centennial Celebration as the oldest known graduate. She derived much joy from the honor and the congratulations from family and friends. Laura loved playing bridge and she co-founded the Golden Age Bridge Group at the Thelma Boltin Center. In March 1998, the bridge club was re-named the Laura Stewart Bridge Group in her honor and she continued playing bridge until a few weeks before her death. She was an enthusiastic Gator fan and in recent years, she became an avid bird watcher, deriving great enjoyment from observing her feathered friends. Laura retired in 1976 from the Sears Catalog Department where she earned many top monthly sales awards. In addition, she was a poll worker for the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections for years. She is survived by a daughter Jean S. "Jeanie" Linsenmeyer and a son, Joseph D. "Jody" Stewart (Annis), Gainesville; and by four granddaughters: Janet E. Stewart of Atlanta, GA, Susan S. Riordan of Simpsonville, SC; Lauren L. Dempsey and Kristen E. Linsenmeyer of Panama City; and by great-grandchildren Andrew, Kalani, Ethan, Jackson, Meghan, Christopher, A. J., Clare and Baxter. The family will welcome friends at Milam Funeral Home, Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday, March 25 from 3-5 PM. Funeral services for Mrs. Stewart, conducted by Rev. Emerson Bolton, will be held at Milam Funeral Home at 2:00 PM on Monday, March 26. Burial will follow in the Mixson Family Plot, Evergreen Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of MILAM FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES, 311 S. Main St., Gainesville, FL 32601, (352) 376-5361.