Stewart Hampton Cole

1938 - 2023

COLE, Stewart Hampton, age 84, died at his home in Richmond, on June 7, 2023 in the company of his family. Stewart was a native of Newton, New Jersey and a graduate of Blair Academy (Class of 1956), Yale University (Class of 1960) and the New York University School of Business (Class of 1964). He was predeceased by his parents, Kenneth Hampton and Jane Dunlap Cole; and is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nancy Lawson Cole; his son, Bromme Hampton Cole (Tricia) of New York City; his daughter, Elizabeth "Elsie" Bemiss (Sam) of Richmond; his brother, Alan Cole (Thelma) of Scottsdale, Arizona; his sister, Kathy Gibbons (Grant) of Tuckerstown, Bermuda; seven grandchildren, Charlotte, Jeb, Willy and Eli Bemiss, and Mackenzie "Maxie," Bromme "Bix" and Waverly Cole; and numerous nieces and nephews. Following his graduation from Yale, Stewart served in the United States Coast Guard and married his sweetheart, Nancy Lawson of New Orleans, Louisiana. Following his service in the Coast Guard, he joined the international division of Chemical Bank, for which he worked throughout the world and managed offices in Bogota, Colombia (1968 to 1970) and Taipei, Taiwan (1974 to 1978). Stewart returned with his family from Taiwan to Madison, New Jersey, commuting to New York City to work for the American Express Bank and, subsequently, for the Turkish American Bank. After Stewart's retirement from the Turkish American Bank, he and Nancy moved to South Londonderry, Vermont where they reveled in entertaining family and friends until 2016, when they departed for Richmond's warmer climate. During his "retirement," Stewart worked for the U.S. government and the World Bank managing the reconstruction and modernization of national banking systems and living in Sarajevo, Bosnia; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Baghdad, among other exotic and challenging places. Once he really retired, Stewart most enjoyed his family, his dogs and his travels with Nancy to the Far East, Egypt, the Holy Land and Europe. An accomplished linguist and musician and a member of the famed Yale Whiffenpoofs, Stewart retained a lifetime love of languages and choral music and rejoiced in hosting the 60th reunion of his fellow Whiffenpoofs of 1960, traveling internationally with the Yale Alumni Chorus, and singing with the St. Stephen's Church choir. Stewart was an avid member of the Holland Society of New York and took great pride in his Dutch ancestry which ran back through the early settlement of New Amsterdam to the Low Countries. There will be a private burial at Hollywood Cemetery, and the family will host a memorial celebration at a later date.