James Stewart

James “Jim” Thomas Stewart passed away on July 31, 2026, at the age of 74. Jim was a man of intelligence, curiosity, humor, and strong convictions. He had a lifelong habit of wanting to understand things properly—whether a matter of business, history, language, or simply a question that had caught his attention. He read, researched, and thought before forming an opinion, and when he had something worthwhile to say, he usually said it well. He had little interest in speaking simply to be heard.

Born on May 29, 1952, in Washington, D.C., Jim was the son of Colonel James Thompson Stewart and Ruth Estelle Vannoy Stewart. His father’s Army career meant that Jim’s childhood was spent in a number of places, including Japan, San Francisco, and Illinois. Belton, Texas, however, became the family’s home base during his father’s overseas assignments and remained an important part of Jim’s life.

At Belton High School, Jim ran track and played football for the Belton Tigers. He was especially proud of the 1969 football team, which advanced to the state semifinals, an achievement still remembered in Belton. Athletics suited him. He appreciated discipline, preparation, competition, and the satisfaction that came from doing something well. Football remained a particular love throughout his life.

Jim went on to college on a football scholarship and later attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied pharmacy. His years in Austin also gave him the opportunity to experience firsthand the music of an extraordinary time and place. Music remained important to him throughout his life. He loved rock, country, and much in between, and he and his wife Edith loved to dance.

His professional life eventually led him to the mortgage industry, where he built a long and successful career. Jim understood people, but he also understood the importance of knowing his subject. He prepared carefully, paid attention to details, and could make a convincing case without needing to make a spectacle of himself. Those qualities served him equally well in sales and in the administrative side of business.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Edith Stewart; their three children, Lara Curry and her husband, Scott, and their children Trevor, Colette, and Josephine, of Lookout Mountain, Georgia; Amanda Szabo and her husband, Joseph, and their daughter Catalina, of Katy, Texas; and Christopher Shields and his wife, Alexandra, of Sylmar, California.

He is also survived by his five siblings and their families: Lessane Hamrick of Granbury, Texas; Jan Ward of Belton, Texas; Julie Griggs of Troy, Texas; Laurie Steger of Belton, Texas; and Jack Stewart of Holland, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, Colonel James Thompson Stewart and Ruth Estelle Vannoy Stewart.

Jim lived a life shaped by curiosity, independence of mind, loyalty, humor, and love for the people closest to him. He believed in being prepared, in knowing what you were talking about, and in doing things well. He appreciated a strong argument, a good song, a clever turn of phrase, and people whose character earned his respect. And for those he loved, behind all of that strength was a great deal of tenderness.

He will be remembered for both.

Arrangements are with Dossman Funeral Home, and a private celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.