ROSEMARY STEWART

It was with great sadness and love that the family and friends of Rose Stewart bade farewell to her on the evening of September 7, 2025. She passed as she had lived, with courage, love, and grace. Having lived a full, artistic and productive life, Rose died peacefully in her home, surrounded by her caring friends and chosen family. Shortly after WWII, in 1950, 3-year-old Rose arrived in Canada with her mother, Maria Samborska. Being Ukrainian herself, Maria married a Ukrainian man in Oshawa where Rose then spent her childhood. It was during her high school years that Rose met her future husband, John Stewart. Eventually, as the time came, John left Oshawa for Queen's University in Kingston, where Rose visited him often. Subsequently, Rose went to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor. Upon graduation, they married and moved to Holland, where John continued in a postgraduate programme. While there, John died tragically, and Rose returned to Canada where John's family completely embraced her. Rose was always grateful for the loving support given to her by John Stewart's family, with whom she remained close until her death. As a child, Rose's love of drawing was greatly encouraged by her mother. Consequently, when she was still in her twenties, she began teaching art in Toronto, a job she was particularly gifted at because of her love of art, her ability to really see people, and to nurture their talents. Rose taught art at SEED school, one of a number of alternative schools developed in Toronto in the 1970s. Because Rose was as talented at teaching as she was at art making, she was much beloved by her students. She formed meaningful and close connections with them, many of whom stayed in touch up until her last days. A consummate teacher, Rose accepted her students unconditionally and inspired them to live life as she lived it - with unassuming dignity, intelligence, generosity, kindness and laughter. "We always laughed with Rose," read one of the tributes. Rose's capacity to laugh followed her into her final hours. In 1980, Rose left her "ideal teaching job" in Toronto to move to Eastern Ontario with John Boxtel, a sculptor, who became her second husband. Both wanted to live "more simply" and to make art. For many years they lived on Wallace Island in the Thousand Islands, where they both worked full-time as artists. When this marriage ended, Rose moved to Kingston. She had begun teaching art to adults at La Salle Secondary School, a job she loved. Later she taught art and photography to adult students in Continuing Education. She had huge enthusiasm for her students' work, which was showcased in an end of the year exhibition. While teaching, Rose kept up an active art making practice, to which she brought her obvious talent, a keen interest in colour, and the ability to look deep and hard at the world around her. What emerged was a series of brilliant still life and landscape paintings. Dedicated to her craft, the landscapes were the result of solitary days spent in the countryside north of Kingston, outside of Halifax and then Rome, observing and painting what she saw. As an artist, however, she was always drawn to "the mystery of abstraction." Rose's work, like herself, was always original. She began combining both genres to produce oil paintings that she called "exterior and interior landscapes." After a "period of dryness," Rose began her important "Contingency Series," cutting edge experiments with collage. Here she composed work using fragments of paintings, and rough abstract sketches, overlaying these with paint and oil pastels. Rose was involved with other local artists both individually and in groups and she became a prominent figure in the Kingston art world. She was a long-standing member of OKWA (a professional group of Kingston women artists) and a participant in the Shag Rug collective, a group of artists who painted regularly together and showed their work in group exhibits. Her work was shown in many Kingston galleries - Modern Fuel, Studio 22, the Tett Centre and the Window Gallery. Rose was characterized by her creative spirit and her energy for life. About 24 years ago, on a drive in the countryside, Rose spied a house that captured her imagination. She sometimes regaled us with her acquisition of that old stone house with the "good bones" and large space for an artist studio. Tirelessly and with love, she turned that stalwart house into a calm sanctuary, which she shared with her beloved dogs, first Bess and then Enzo, and with the many people Rose drew to herself over her lifetime. From the moment she moved in, Rose opened her heart and home to friends and neighbours. Always a gracious and welcoming hostess, she was interested in meeting new people and connecting them to others. She relished walking Bess and later Enzo down the country roads, or the Frontenac K & P trail or hiking in Frontenac Park. Rose loved good food and loved to cook. She delighted in organizing gatherings that brought friends or neighbours together to share meals and lively conversations. Rose never lost her interest in local and world affairs. There was always an open invitation to plant gardens in her tilled field or walk through her woods or share a cup of Bengal spice tea or glass of wine. There was seldom a time when there wasn't a visitor's car in her driveway! Rose's wide and varied circle of friends were drawn to her by her humility, kindness, and nonjudgemental approach to life as her generosity of spirit, warmth and kindness was immediately recognizable. She wanted the best for people and often facilitated it happening by her support. Forever in our hearts, Rose will be deeply missed. Rose's friends and family would like to thank and extend our great appreciation to the nurses of Saint Elizabeth Health Care, the caregivers at Limestone City Home Health Care, Dr. Danielle Kain of the Queen's Palliative Care Pain Team, Kingston Health Sciences Centre and the Cancer Centre of South Eastern Ontario.