Obituary of James W. Stewart

James W. Stewart of Old Saybrook CT, formerly a resident of Piscataway NJ, passed peacefully on Thursday afternoon, March 12, 2020 in the presence of loved ones after a brief but devastating battle with cancer. Despite his illness, Jim maintained his kindness, his humor, his faith, his love for his family and friends and his gratitude for a life well lived. He was a beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend. He leaves behind his daughter Shannon and her husband Mark Jones of Clearwater FL, his daughter Susannah Stewart of Essex CT and his sisters and brother-in-laws, Sarah and Joseph Sczyrek of Morristown NJ and Peggy and William Horne of Stockton NJ. He also had four beloved grandchildren; Joshua, Shelby, Emma and Jacob. Jim was a brilliant man and a true academic. While first and foremost he was a scientist, he also deeply appreciated art, literature, music, world cultures, history and politics. He also lived a life of service in every way that he could. He always looked for opportunities to give back, to be kind and to “pay it forward”. He held a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and two Master’s degrees in both Computer Science and Mathematics. For most of his career, he served first as a professor and later as Dean at DeVry University. He was an accomplished author and consultant in his field. He was also a long time selectman in Piscataway, New Jersey where he committed his time and energy to improving his community. In his retirement he moved to Connecticut to be near his children and grandchildren. He spent ten important years actively participating in their day-to-day lives, encouraging them and supporting them in any way he could. He joined the Knights of Columbus which brought him great joy and allowed him to form many important friendships. He also had a lot of fun “tinkering”, building robots and other crazy contraptions that he loved to share. His church, St. Mark’s, was very important to him and he was fully committed to serving his faith. True to his beliefs, he was unfailingly kind and generous with everyone he knew. A service to honor his life will be held at St. Mark the Evangelist Church 222 McVeagh Road in Westbrook on a future date which will be announced. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. To share a memory of Jim, or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.