Susan J. Stewart

1935 - 2025

Susan J. Stewart of Bloomington, Indiana, passed away on October 16, 2025, at the age of 90. She was born on June 1, 1935 to Eugene "Gene" and Elizabeth Leslie Brown of Winchester, Indiana.
Graduating from Middletown High School in 1953, Susan married Daniel Ray Oakes. They spent many years in Middletown, raising three children who attended Middletown and Shenandoah schools.
After a divorce in 1975, Susan married Fred J. Stewart of Winchester, Indiana in 1976 and they remained together in a loving partnership until Fred's death in 2018. During their years, they lived in Winchester, Zanesville, OH, Tampa, FL, Fishers, IN, Greenfield, IN, West Lafayette, IN, and Bloomington, IN. They traveled and cruised extensively, including renting a flat in Paris for a month and hanging out as American retirees sampling local wines and foods each night.
Susan had various careers ranging from modeling to retail management to resident real estate. She also published essays and letters in newspapers wherever she lived. She was an avid golfer and tennis player, and she stepped into local classrooms as a substitute teacher.
She adored two canine companions: Simon, who passed in 2017, and Sugar, who survives.
Most of Susan's older relatives passed before her, leaving her as the oldest of her family's generation. She is survived by a brother, Phillip Brown (and Elsa) of Texas, and a sister, Mary Beth (and Wayne) Hasselbrinck of Los Angeles. Her three children also survive: Susan Lee Macke, Ft. Wayne, IN; Michael J. Oakes, Bloomington, IN; and David Ray Oakes, Pierceton, IN. She is also survived by two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her wishes include a small, private gathering honoring her life with a champagne toast. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are encouraged to make donations to the City of Bloomington Animal Care & Control's Animal Shelter.