JAMES HOWARD STEWART

JAMES HOWARD STEWART, III James Howard Stewart, III, was born in Anniston, AL on August 31, 1961. He is survived by his father, James Howard Stewart, Jr. and wife, Zula Stewart; and mother, Rebecca Brown Stewart, sister, Alice Ann Stewart, brother, David Stewart, sister, Deborah Stewart Yim and husband, Michael Yim, stepbrother, Richard Alverson, stepsister, Debbie LaRussa, stepbrother, Steve McConnell; nieces and nephews, Taylor LaRussa, Patrick Yim, Jacob Boone, Leah LaRussa, Joshua Boone, Daniel Yim. He is also survived by uncles and aunts, Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Stewart, and Jane Stewart Griffin and 6 cousins and 8 second cousins. Although Jimmy had no children of his own, he was a like a father to Calvin, Taylor and Samantha Bond after the untimely death of their beloved father Chris and also to DaShan and Dawan Simpson, and William Strickland. Jimmy, a 1983 graduate of Auburn University and a member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity, was a retired sales executive with the Savin Corporation and resided in Auburn, Alabama. He dedicated his life in service to others through his work with the Boy Scouts of America and the Umbrella Foundation, Inc, where he was the Founder, Chairman and CEO of this 501(3)(c) Corporation dedicated to serving at risk youth. He was very active in the Boy Scouts of America as both a youth member and then as an adult leader. He was an Eagle Scout and a Vigil Member of the Order of the Arrow. He served as a cub scout leader and for seven years as Scoutmaster of Troop 87 in Roswell, GA. In addition he served as District Commissioner for the North Fulton and Chattahoochee Boy Scout districts and was head of the Order of the Arrow cook team. He was the recipient of many of Scouting's most prestigious awards including the Silver Beaver Award, the Whitney M. Young Service award presented by the National Headquarters, the James E West Fellowship, and a host of other awards recognizing his dedication to youth. He received many training awards including Wood Badge and served for many years as an active trainer. Most recently Jimmy served as a leader for the Tiger Cubs in Auburn and loved helping the youngest members as they began their own path in scouting. He was most proud of the 27 young men who earned the Eagle Scout rank during his time as Scoutmaster. His mentoring of troubled and at risk youth resulted in many of the youth under his direction developing into strong young men of character. Jimmy was a dedicated and passionate fan of the Auburn University Football Team and could be found faithfully cheering on the Tigers every Fall from his regular seat in the stadium. Jimmy was also the founder of a large tailgating organization in Auburn called Magnolia Tent Village where he was affectionately known as "The Mayor". Funeral services will be held on Sunday at 2 pm at the First United Methodist Church of Anniston with Rev. Pete Hawker, Rev. Kevin Hobbs, Frank Tighe and Rev. Minnie Stovall officiating. Burial will follow at Forestlawn Gardens. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 1 - 2 pm at the church. Pallbearers will be Frank Tighe, Frank Zimmerr, Steve Cleary, Dave Rigsby, Scott Thompson, Greg Baker, Col. Tim Sullivan and Col. Mark Sullivan. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that donations be made to Boy Scout Troop 87, Roswell, Presbyterian Church, 755 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, GA 30075. Gray Brown-Service is in charge of arrangements.