James Shook Stewart

James Shook Stewart

1922-2021

James Shook Stewart of Houston, Texas, passed away peacefully in his home on July 13, 2021 at the age of 98, in the company of his devoted and beloved wife of 65 years, Sylvia Ann Brown Stewart.

Jim, also known as Shook, was born on October 9, 1922, in Hamilton, Ohio, to JM Stewart and Dorothy May Peet. His parents met in France in 1917 during World War I – JM was in the Army and Dorothy ran a restaurant for soldiers through the YMCA. Jim lived in Chicago, Illinois until he was eight years old when his family moved to Redondo Beach, California. Jim spent his formative years enjoying the beach, bodysurfing and tennis. He played tennis on school teams in both high school and college. A star student, Jim graduated in 1940 from Redondo Beach High School, and attended the University of Southern California where he boxed and played tennis. He transferred to the University of California at Berkeley and received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1947. After his military service, he returned to Cal Berkeley and earned a Master's Degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1951.

At Berkeley, Jim enrolled in the Naval ROTC and received his commission as Ensign in 1944. He volunteered for submarine duty and after attending submarine schools in San Diego, California and Groton, Connecticut, he was assigned to the USS Steelhead which had suffered a catastrophic fire at the Hunters Point Navy Yard in San Francisco. After repairs, he sailed on the Steelhead's final war patrol in the Pacific, rescuing a downed aviator off the coast of Japan in July 1945. The USS Steelhead narrowly escaped disaster when on a training mission, all hydraulic and electrical systems were lost, and the boat went into a steep dive. Later in life, Jim casually mentioned that during his time on the Steelhead, they were docked right next to the USS Indianapolis which was carrying the Atomic Bomb. Jim was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant (JG).

During college, Jim worked as a template checker at North American Aviation and as a welder at night in the shipyards. In 1951, Jim started his 35-year career as a petroleum engineer at Shell Oil Company. He was involved in the early development of secondary recovery projects in water and steam flooding in Shell's California oil fields, and was Chairman of the California Committee of Oil Producers in 1968. The last 13 years of his career at Shell were in Houston, Texas where he served as exploitation engineer and ended his career in the head office of Pecten International.

In 1955, Jim met Sylvia at the offices of Shell Oil Company in Ventura, California. Jim and Sylvia were married March 17, 1956 at the Oaks in Ojai, California. Jim and Sylvia had 65 years of a wonderful marriage and loving togetherness. As a testament to their bond, they entered countless mixed doubles tennis tournaments and came home with every trophy.

In 1959, Jim's first child Phil was born, followed in 1961 by Pamela, and in 1963 by Ron. Jim was a devoted son, husband and father who was proud of and thoroughly enjoyed his children and grandchildren. He was known for always having an even keel, happy attitude, never saying a disparaging word, being an excellent storyteller, having a great sense of humor, a genuine love and appreciation of family, the great outdoors, math, literature, tennis, and athletics. He loved the beach in Southern California and body surfing in particular.

Jim was a lifelong tennis player, a patriot, and one of the original fitness nuts. He most enjoyed the mountains and taking numerous backpacking trips in the Sierras with his family. 

He "enjoyed" taking raft trips on the Green, Stanislaus, Snake and San Juan rivers. He was always the oarsman and as a result lost 8 – 10 pounds on each trip. He loved 1940's music and relentlessly read non-fiction. He was a woodworker who crafted many cherished furnishings and toys for his family.

After retiring in 1987, Jim diligently served the community by tutoring children in mathematics through the Houston Independent School District, and also tutored adults in English. In his relatively advanced years, he volunteered driving elderly people to the doctor through the HERO (Helping Elderly Residents Out) program. The running joke was that Jim was typically a decade older than the old people he was driving around. During his many retirement years, he and Sylvia traveled extensively around the world, often on hiking adventures, and he dutifully cheered on his grandchildren on the sports fields.

Jim was predeceased by his father J M Stewart, his mother Dorothy Peet Stewart, and his sister Bernice Garrett and her husband Marvin Garrett. Jim is survived by his wife of 65 years Sylvia Ann Brown Stewart; brother in law Richard Shaw Brown of Morro Bay, California; son Philip Shook Stewart and wife Aimee Morel-Seytoux Stewart of Bozeman, Montana; daughter Pamela Stewart Strasburger and husband John Blake Strasburger, Sr. of Houston, Texas; son Ronald Mason Stewart and his wife Sara Elizabeth Green of Madison, Wisconsin; and his grandchildren Arthur Christopher Stewart, Silas Rousseau Stewart, Henry Quinn Stewart, Samantha Jane Strasburger, and John Blake Strasburger, Jr. Jim is also survived by nieces and nephews Steve Brown and wife Francie; Scott Brown and wife Merle McClendon; Kevin Brown and his wife Laurie Hoffman; Kirk Brown and GJ Thelin; Sheryl Garrett; Diana Garrett Burns and husband Bob Burns; and Billy Garrett. Jim was predeceased by his brother in law's wife Diane Kellenberger Brown and favorite first cousins Miriam Wolfrom Pederson and her husband John Pederson, and Barbara Wolfrom Reznick, her husband Nick Reznick, and their sons Nicholas Wolfrom Reznick and Gregory Reznick whom he adored. From the Reznick family, he is survived by Neva Reznick and Peter Reznick. From the Pederson family, he is survived by Nell Pederson, Carl Pederson, and Polly Pederson.

The family would like to especially thank his devoted and loving friends David and Janet Griffiths and all of their incredible neighbors on Kingsride Lane.

We would like to thank his long term doctors Jan Fuerst, Libbyette Wright, Merrick Ross and Richard Pohil who helped him live a long and healthy life.

A private gathering will be held for friends and family to celebrate Jim's incredible life.

Contributions may be made in memory of James Shook Stewart to the Nature Discovery Center of Houston at naturediscoverycenter.org, to the Zina Garrison Tennis Academy at Zina Garrison.org, or to the charity of your choosing.