Shirley Stewart

Shirley Stewart, 88, of Fort Smith passed away at Baptist Hospital Thursday, October 26, 2023. She was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on March 29, 1935 and was the daughter of Ernest Oldham and Reba Oldham. Shirley was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Ray E. Stewart; son, David Stewart; Grandson, Justin Waldroop; parents, Ernest Oldham and Reba Oldham; sister, Betty Isaacs; and brother, Bill Oldham.

She is survived by her 3 daughters, Debbie Jones and husband Darrell of Fort Smith, Laura Waldroop and husband Lee of Fort Smith, and Becky Phillips of Bryant, Arkansas. She has nine grandchildren, Christopher Stewart and wife Jessica of Oklahoma City; Sean Stewart of West Virginia; Ashley Rivera of Fort Smith; Reed Snider and wife Paige of Oklahoma City; Brooks Snider of Fayetteville; Payton Phillips of Conway; Megan Phillips, Brynn Phillips, and Kaitlin Phillips, all of Bryant Arkansas. She has 8 great-grandchildren ranging in ages from 1 to 15.

Shirley was a life-long member of Grand Avenue Baptist Church of Fort Smith where she was an active member of the choir and WMU for many years. Shirley spent many years in the insurance business before she and Ray owned and operated 3 local grocery stores for over 20 years. After retiring from the grocery business, Shirley jumped into a completely new industry and purchased a small, hometown bookstore in Fort Smith which kept her busy for the next 15 years. During that time she was an active member of the Network of Executive Women of Fort Smith. Over the last 18 years she and Ray enjoyed traveling to the Holy Land, Alaska, Hawaii and many other places in between. She was an avid Saint Louis Cardinals Fan and spent many hours watching baseball games, tending to her beautiful roses, and spending time with family and friends. Shirley’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her greatest joy and attended as many of their events as possible.

The family will be receiving visitors on Sunday, October 29 at Edwards Funeral Home in Fort Smith from 5:00-7:00pm. Funeral service will be Monday, October 30 at Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Smith at 1:00pm.