Theresa Stewart taught in Iowa and moved to Roscoe to be near family

Theresa Louise (Jackson) Stewart, 86, of Roscoe, was a teacher, working in special education for Newton Community School District in Iowa for most of her career.

Theresa passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2022.

She met, fell for, and then married fellow teacher Jimmie “Jim” Dale Stewart on May 29, 1960, in Warrensburg, MO. She and Jim had their first daughter, Diana, in Butler, MO, where Theresa had been born. In 1965, when Jim got a teaching opportunity, Jim and Theresa moved to Newton, IA, and soon had their first son, Kevin, and then another daughter, Jana.  After a long career of teaching and travels after retirement, Theresa and Jim moved to Illinois to be near family in 2017, but she missed her friends in Newton and did her best to stay in touch with them.

She was born in Butler, Bates County, MO on September 21, 1936, the only child of Carl Freddy and Lela Mae (Crowley) Jackson. Although she had fond memories of living “out west” in the Pacific Northwest when she was a small child,  Theresa's family moved back to Bates County six years later and they farmed near Adrian, MO for the rest of her childhood. Theresa graduated from Adrian High School in 1954. She earned a BA from Central Missouri State and an MA from Iowa State University.

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Theresa loved her work and the kids that she taught and continued to take college classes throughout her career to become a better teacher. After the family had lived in Newton for a few years, they moved to a nearby place in the country at Theresa’s insistence. She happily kept very busy gardening, canning, baking, sewing, tending animals, and raising kids.

After Theresa retired to "play with Jim," they visited most of the U.S. states, fished in Canada with friends, and wintered in Port Aransas, TX, for several years. Theresa loved their travels.

Survivors include her husband, Jim Stewart; daughter, Diana (Drew) Holmes and their children, Erinn and Ian; Kevin’s son, Nathan (Kaitlyn) Stewart; and daughter, Jana (Bret) Berghoefer. This year, she was thrilled to become a great-grandmother to Charlotte and Milo, born to Nathan (Kaitlyn) Stewart and Erinn (Isaiah) Kronebusch, respectively. She is preceded in death by her parents and her son, Kevin Stewart.

Theresa did not want any formal services. Cremation rites were arranged by Delehanty Funeral Home, Loves Park. Please address condolences to Jim Stewart, c/o Delehanty Funeral Home, 401 River Lane, Loves Park, IL.