Jane Anne Steward

Jane Anne Steward, 96, of Bradenton, Florida, passed away on December 23, 2020. Born January 14, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, to the late McDonald and Frances Darnell, the family moved from Illinois to Kentucky where Jane spent most of her formative years. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister Barbara (Darnell) Metz and her two brothers, McDonald, Jr. and Kenneth Darnell. She attended Western Kentucky University until she left school to work at Fort Knox during World War II.

Jane moved to Columbus, Ohio, where she met and married the late Ralph Steward and they began to raise their family of six children. In the mid-fifties the family moved to Lakeside, Ohio, a small Chautauqua community on the shores of Lake Erie. Jane was employed by the Lakeside Association for nearly 25 years where she took on many roles, including her primary job of Executive Assistant to the General Manager/Director of Lakeside.

Throughout the years Jane was involved with her children’s school activities, her local Methodist Church, and the community volunteering and helping out in many capacities. She had the busy life that comes with fulltime employment and raising a large family. She loved playing cards and always found time to join her friends for a friendly and often competitive game of bridge, both in Lakeside and later in Bradenton, Florida, where in the mid-eighties she and husband Ralph joined her parents in retirement.

Following the deaths of both her parents and her husband Ralph, Jane remained in Florida until her passing three weeks shy of her 97th birthday. She enjoyed the Florida sunshine and lived independently until the last year of her life.

Jane is survived by five of her loving children and their families: Nancy (Steward) and Daniel Murray of Charles Town, West Virginia; Larry and Caroline Steward of Indianapolis, Indiana; Judy (Steward) and Thomas Borzilleri of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Bradley Steward of Bradenton, Florida; and Scott and Marie Steward of Columbus, Ohio. Jane also leaves behind 12 loving grandchildren and eight loving great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her youngest son Timothy in 2013.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Contributions may be made in Jane’s memory to the Memorial Garden at Chautauqua Park, 236 Walnut Ave., Lakeside, OH 43440, or to Tidewell Hospice in Bradenton, Florida @ TidewellFoundation.org.