In private conversation, Marilyn Stewart quietly referred to her beloved husband, Ron, as “Dad.”
Though a nickname, Ron exemplified the best traits of a father to his family members and to the city of Independence, said state Sen. Victor Callahan, D-Independence, a close friend of Ron and Marilyn Stewart.
“Strong and courageous, honest and compassionate, he was loyal to those who reciprocated that gift,” Callahan said, “and with his own great qualities of heart, he personified the best of Independence.”
For two hours Tuesday morning, the Truman Memorial Building in Independence served as “the Ron Stewart Memorial Building” as several hundred people gathered for a service in his honor. Stewart, 74, the former mayor and a 31-year Independence Police Department veteran, died Aug. 20 following a stroke he suffered earlier that week.
“Without Mayor Stewart’s efforts, this building would have become a pile of rubble,” said former Independence city manager Larry Blick, calling Stewart’s “carefully cultivated relationships in Jefferson City” the means for securing a $2.1 million state appropriations grant used in renovating the Truman Memorial Building. Blick served as city manager from August 1993 to April 2004 while Stewart’s 12-year tenure as mayor lasted from 1994 to 2006.
Stewart celebrated 50 years of marriage with Marilyn in January, surrounded by more than 100 relatives and friends. He retired in September 1991 as a police captain after a three-decade career.
He would ride his motorcycle across Independence, even when his term as mayor ended, anxious to see the changes that had taken place in the city he called home for 60 years.
“Grandpa ... had a friend who lived up the street from our house, and they rode their Harleys together. Oftentimes, working in the yard or sitting on the couch, I’d hear a Harley riding by. More times than not, it was him,” said Larry Veuleman, one of Stewart’s grandsons, tears choking up his voice. “We still have Harley traffic in the neighborhood, and it’s no longer him passing by. It allows me to remember him every time the Harley goes by in keeping Grandpa’s memory with us.”
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Framed photographs on display showcased Stewart’s many faces – the police captain, the avid motorcyclist, the elected official and the musician. Despite his numerous interests and roles throughout the community, Stewart’s top priority remained his family, Blick said.
“I have countless fond memories of working and of being with Ron – I don’t believe I could have asked for a better mayor to work with,” Blick said. “I am saddened because he didn’t have more time to enjoy his family, his music, his Harley and his relationships.”
The city of Independence provided an arrangement of 45 roses, representing Stewart’s 45 years of public service (31 years with the Police Department and 14 years on City Council). A single rose was handed to each of Stewart’s family members while leaving the memorial service.
An initial, serious hemorrhagic stroke on June 4 left Stewart experiencing a 10-week illness, during which many friends and family members were at his side. On Aug. 15 – two days before Stewart suffered a second, fatal stroke and one day before his 74th birthday – he expressed excitement to Larry and Susan Blick, saying he was eating a “light lunch” so he could eat pizza at his birthday party that evening.
As a peacemaker, Stewart sought unity among different religious groups and racial backgrounds “and helped bring civility to our public discourse,” Blick said. “The community began working together, and good things happened. He could relate to the man or woman in the street, the corporate executive or a United States president.”
Even as accomplishments took place and as the city received national recognition in Stewart’s time as mayor, he always awarded credit to others, beaming with satisfaction and never once saying, “I did it,” according to Blick.
“He would say to all of us here today, ‘We. We did it,’ ” Blick said. “If Ron were here today, I believe he would say to us, ‘Thank you for being here, but we have more to do. Carry on.’”
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Serving as mayor of a city with more than 100,000 residents is a significant responsibility, but Stewart kept his sense of humor as a prankster, said Mayor Don Reimal, who first met Stewart in 1993 at a steak fry.
As the two men campaigned door-to-door, Stewart “somehow” got the low, flat ground while Reimal often walked up hills. “I didn’t make it happen; it just happened,” Reimal recalled as Stewart’s response. In retaliation, Reimal would point out houses where dogs were visible from backyard fences, saying Stewart could have those.
One memory in particular resulted in a great deal of laughter Tuesday. During one Monday night City Council meeting, when Stewart served as mayor and Reimal was mayor pro tempore, “one of our more colorful Independence citizens” spoke during the citizen comment period that concluded the meeting, Reimal said.
When the time came, Stewart stood up, handed Reimal the gavel and said, “I have another meeting I need to attend.” Stewart then proceeded to watch the meeting transpire on City 7 at the Courthouse Exchange, just walking distance from City Hall.
He organized the band Country by Choice. His second band, featuring his wife, Marilyn, played at nursing homes and retirement centers. In closing, those in attendance Tuesday sang the fast-paced country song “I Saw the Light.”
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now, I’m so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord I saw the light
