Jonathan Charles Stewart

Jonathan Charles Stewart, age 76, of Houston, Texas, passed away suddenly on Saturday, the 19th of June 2021. He was born on the 17th of October 1944, in Columbus, Ohio, to Wendell F. Stewart and Mildred I. Stewart. Although Jonathan lived in many places, he thought of Houston, Texas and Richmond, Indiana as his homes. Jonathan graduated from Indiana University (IU) in 1962 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, and he then went on to receive his Masters of Business Administration in 1975 also from IU. In the late 70’s, he began his career in the finance industry as an Investment Banker with Morgan Stanley in San Francisco, until he ventured out to start his own financial firm. That was the beginning of his very diverse and successful career. In the 1980’s, he moved to Galveston, Texas and started building cell phone towers in Galveston County. He also owned oil rigs in Michigan and built the first MRI Health facility in San Jose, Costa Rica. There, he owned three hotels, including one in the rainforest in Costa Rica that he later sold to University of Oklahoma to use for their research. Over the past fifteen years, he and his loving wife, Tina Raham Stewart, owned their own investment company.

Jonathan was an unpretentious and unique individual who was very comfortable in his own skin. Almost always dressed in black, he set some of his own fashion trends such as sporting a black leather satchel (which he humorously dubbed as his “man bag”) and carried a black silk bib to dinner in case he ordered lobster. He was gifted with a brilliant mind and was a voracious reader. He was so well-read that he could converse with almost anyone on most every topic. Also, he generously shared this wisdom with his family and friends, and was always available to them, especially when they were in need of help. He was kind and patient but also had a keen wit and dry, quirky sense of humor and was funny even when he wasn’t trying to be.

His close friends and family adored and admired him. Jonathan met his true love, Tina Raham, in April 2001, and after being together for six happy years, they married on the 21st of April 2007. He is preceded in death by his father, Wendell F. Stewart, and his mother, Mildred I. Stewart. He is survived by his devoted wife of fourteen years, Tina Raham Stewart, one sister, Linda Amy and her husband, Steve Amy; one niece, Laura Justice, numerous cousins whom he and Tina visited several times a year in Green County, Ohio. The family would like to acknowledge Cecil and Katrina Arnim, Kate and Bill Bush, Evelyn Leightman, Carol Coale and Margaret Ceconi for their tremendous help during this difficult time; and also recognize Jamie Terhaar, who has been and continues to be an essential part of their lives, in offering her unselfish care and kindness for many years.

A celebration of his life is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 30th of June in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent grand foyer.

Jonathan loved children and animals and also had a love for guns, and the family asks that, in lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to Ronald McDonald House, 1907 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, Houston SPCA, 7007 Old Katy Rd., Houston, TX, 77024, Houston Humane Society, 14700 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX, 77053 and National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA, 22030.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood” - Marie Curie. Jonathan would not have it any other way.