William N. Stewart

William Nelson "Bill" Stewart passed away peacefully on March 22, 2025 at the age of 90. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 61 years, Eileen Marie Mead Stewart who died on March 24, 2019. Bill is survived by his brother Tom, four children: Gordon (Jacqueline), Jeff (Karen), Colin, and Heather (Tom Allman), seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

The 6th of 9 children, Bill was born on September 23, 1934 in the rural village of West Carthage in northern upstate New York. In high school he played varsity basketball and football. He worked his way through two years of technical school before joining the navy. The only thing preventing his acceptance to Annapolis was the eye test. He served aboard the destroyer-tender Shenandoah gaining immense experience repairing state-of-the-art equipment.

After getting married and starting a family, he began working as an electrical engineer in newly formed NASA at Goddard, their first center. From an apartment in Laurel his young family moved to the new Belair at Bowie, into Kenilworth, the third section built. Bill knew he had chosen the right lot when he detected deer tracks. Deer still follow that same run.

Bill and Eileen were avid campers, taking their family on trips to Canada twice, to the new campground in Disney World, and to many campgrounds in adjacent states. Yet, Assateague State Park was the favorite. For 19 straight years they camped a sand dune away from the crashing surf, among the wild ponies.

Bill and Eileen were both athletic and playing in the "Over-the-Rainbow" soccer league. Bill played in the inter-faith softball and volleyball leagues. He also took taekwondo with his two oldest sons.

Bill was renown for his ability to fix anything - from broken hearts to the teams he coached - from the neighborhood Levitt appliances (that would all break simultaneously) to the first repair mission in space. As Mission Operation Manager for the Solar Max Mission, he worked closely with astronauts. Bill retired from NASA in 1989 then worked at Fairchild for a few years.

Bill built many home modifications to accommodate his growing family including a large family room with a cathedral-ceiling and fireplace. His outdoor projects included a basketball court, treehouse, garden, patio, and extensive hedges. He was a woodworker perfectionist building desks, cabinetry, and tables.

Bill was known for his kind compassion, intelligence, integrity, and humor. A man of action, he loved nature, fixing things, and helping people. His entertaining adventure stories encouraged everyone to live a life worth telling.