Michael Kenneth Stewart

Michael Kenneth Stewart, 60, passed away with family and dear friends by his side on September 25, 2023, after a brief illness. Mike was born on January 29, 1963, in Misawa, Japan, where his late father was stationed with the United States Air Force. Because of his father's occupation, the family lived in Louisiana, England, and Washington before settling in Austin, Texas, when Mike was in middle school. Mike called Austin home ever since. Mike graduated high school from Kirby Hall School, where he was an exceptional soccer player and a mischievous student. He attended the University of Texas and majored in Government. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and made life-long friends, many of whom joined him on a trip to Las Vegas the weekend before he fell ill. Mike was gregarious, enjoyed telling stories, and, most of all, loved to make people laugh.

Mike was most proud of being a husband and father. He is survived by his wife Lisa, whom he married in 1992, and his three amazing children, Hailey (26), Jackson (23), and Macy (20), who are each blessed with a bit of his sense of humor. While Mike immensely enjoyed his children's sporting and arts activities, his fondest moments were with his family on their many trips to the Texas coast, especially North Padre Island and Port Aransas, Disneyworld, and Colorado. Although leaving his children way too soon, Mike died with the comfort of knowing that he and Lisa had raised strong, principled, successful children.

Professionally, Mike began his career as a Sergeant at the Capitol, and later ably served multiple state representatives as a campaign manager, chief-of-staff, and legislative director. Mike then became an exceptional lobbyist and association executive, first with the Texas Oil Marketers Association and then the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA). Under Mike's leadership, TACA was recognized by the industry as the National Association of the Year, an award of which Mike was very proud. After his career as an association executive, Mike established his own consulting firm.

Despite his ties to Austin, Mike was a passionate fan of the University of Oklahoma Sooners since childhood. He attended the Red River Showdown football game for more than three decades. The Sooners' victory this year was particularly fitting and emotional for his family and friends, even those who rooted for the Longhorns.

Services to celebrate Mike's life are Friday, October 20, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 3201 Windsor Road. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mike's name to Austin Pets Alive or Heart of Texas Lab Rescue, organizations from which the family adopted several of their pets.