Therese Stewart

Therese 'Terri' Agnes Stewart passed away on May 1, 2020, at age 81, surrounded by her family at Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids. Terri was born to Alois and Mary Zeman on October 2, 1938, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She grew up in Cedar Rapids and attended St. Wenceslaus High School. At the tender age of 16 she met her husband, Walter Stewart at a community dance. They were married in 1955, while he was on leave from the military and promptly started their marriage together in Wiesbaden, Germany where Walt was stationed. They welcomed their first child, Mike, in Germany and two more, Kim and Mark, after relocating to California. They returned to Iowa in 1963, and ultimately settled their family in Lisbon. Anyone who knew Terri knew she was extremely hard-working. She essentially retired three times after her retirement from Evergreen Packaging (formerly Cherry Burrell) in 2000. Not one to sit around, she continued working as a sous chef and honed her cooking skills in various restaurants and nursing homes. She was named the Hallmark Care Center Employee of the Year in 2016. She especially enjoyed her time, working, cooking, eating and traveling with her dear friends and neighbors, Tony and Sylvia Venuto. She loved to knit and crochet. For every new baby who entered the family, a newly crocheted blanket made by her was wrapped around them. Her handmade booties and dishrags were family favorites, and she was knitting lap blankets for the Veterans home until her final days. For years she enjoyed participating in the Red Hat Society and Women's Club. She was a proud member of the Women's Auxiliary in Lisbon, and an avid weed puller and gardener. She had been a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Mt. Vernon since 1965. She quietly worked behind the scenes, giving of her time and cooking talent, for numerous church funerals over the years. Terri was preceded in death by her husband, Walter; parents, Alois and Mary; sister, Lorraine, and son-in-law, Jeffrey Miller. She is survived by her children, Mike (Brenda Eogl), Mount Vernon; Kim Miller, Burnet, Texas, Mark (Jackie), Mediapolis; her brother, Marvin (Dorothy), Lake Havasu, Arizona; brother-in-law, Roger Hamilton, Solon; grandchildren, Jennifer (Clint) Larson, Oakville, Megan (Josh) Rife, Mount Vernon, Lane (Elizabeth) Stewart, Mount Vernon and Joe Stewart, Mount Vernon. She will be missed by her greatgrandchildren, Truett and Calvin Larson, and Holden and Cecilia Rife. She never came empty-handed, as she always had a treat for them. In addition to her immediate family, she will be missed dearly by many special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends from the community. We lovingly remember her as strong, independent woman who was kind, generous and loyal to the people and causes she loved. We love her a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck, a barrel and a heap and we will think about her when we sleep. Memorial Mass: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 2, 2021, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mount Vernon, by Reverend Dennis Juhl. Private Inurnment: St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Lisbon.