Marian Vail Stewart

Marian Vail Stewart was born January 1, 1921, in Lansing Michigan. She was the daughter of Bert Clark Vail and Emma Helena Matilda Martini Vail. She grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and later moved to Detroit, to continue her education. She graduated from Strathmore High School in Detroit. She had the intelligence to skip a grade in school. She enrolled in Michigan State University, and later enrolled in Gadwall College for Medical Technology. She graduated with honors and went to work as Head of the Laboratory of Longview State Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was here that she met her long time friend Edna Stieg, and the two had lunch at the University College of Medicine where she met her future husband John A. Stewart, M.D. over a bowl of tomato soup. After several months she received his fraternity pin and wore it proudly. After one and a half years of courtship, they became engaged and later were married on June 23, 1945. She went to Detroit and was assistant in the laboratory of Harper Hospital, where her husband had his internship. It was here that she was appointed lab technician to Dr. Gruezic, the pathologist at Parke Davis Pharmaceutical Company. After his internship they moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he had his specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. After his residency they moved to Hamilton, Ohio where her husband started his practice of medicine, October 1, 1951. She gave birth to three children, John Vail Stewart and wife Mary, Robert Vail Stewart and wife Sandy, and Barbara Vail Stewart Keating who preceded her in death on January 16, 1999 and is survived by her husband Daniel Keating. Her children presented her and her husband with nine grand children and four great grand children. She and her husband had a wonderful and fruitful life living in Hamilton, Ohio., raising her children, taking them to music lessons, elocution lessons and dancing school. She also assisted her husband in his medical practice by acting as scrub woman, laundress, laboratory clean up girl, laboratory technician, nurse, office secretary, bookkeeper, mother and wife. As the children grew up and attended colleges and nursing school, she and her husband enjoyed many trips together, not only in the United States, but Canada, Europe and Africa. She was the tour director on many of these trips. On two occasions she was able to get her husband on two organ tours of England, Scotland and Germany, where he had the wonderful experience of playing the organ in the large cathedrals of these various countries. She was always with him when he received additional education all over the country, some three times a year for many years. She was a member of the BR chapter of the PEO, for fifty years. She also was a member of the Metropolitan Woman’s Club, Current Events Club, and Garden Club. She enjoyed all of her club associations and played a part in taking offices of these organizations. As she was getting older she and her husband auctioned their beautiful home on Oakwood Drive and entered Berkeley Square Retirement Village. They added a solarium onto their condominium and spent a wonderful full life at this location. She and her husband participated in the activities of this retirement organization. It was only after about a year at the end of her life that she developed her fatal illness. She died at the age of eighty-eight years and two months. She is to be interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Hamilton, Ohio. She has been the most intelligent, devout wonderful, loving wife and mother any person would want. Her personality radiated to whom ever she contacted. She never said no, when asked to do something, and was an ardent politician for her party, and enjoyed plants and flowers. She enjoyed life and especially going out each mor

Tributes

Marian Vail Stewart

February 28, 2009