Raymond Dale Stewart, 68, of West Lafayette, passed away at IU Arnett Hospital in Lafayette on Sunday, June 17, 2012.
He touched all who knew him with profound respect and honor.
He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Xiuzeng Ma.
Ray was born in Indianapolis, on Jan. 17, 1944 to Clyde H. Stewart and Letha Willoughby Stewart, both deceased. Ray was brother to Ruth Stewart Cunningham, who preceded him in death in 1994.
He married Xiuzeng Ma on June 16, 1995.
Ray graduated from High School in 1962. He attended Indiana University in Bloomington, and U.S.U. in Logan Utah.
He enlisted in the Navy Reserves in 1967, served aboard the USS Bennington as a Radar Operator during the Vietnam war. Ray was aboard and assisted when the Bennington recovered the Apollo 4 space capsule, near Midway Island in 1967. Ray received an honorable discharge in 1970.
He also served in the Indianapolis Civil Defense from 1958-63 and was a certified rescue instructor responding to the tragic Oct. 31, 1963, explosion at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum.
Ray was a firefighter in Logan, Utah. After retiring from the fire department, he returned to Indiana and worked for Syncor in Indianapolis, and West Lafayette, and Arnett Clinic in Lafayette, retiring in 2009.
Ray was a devout Mormon and beloved member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Second Ward, West Lafayette.
Survivors include: Sister-in-law Aiqun Ma, nephew James R. (Joyce) Cunningham III, nieces Diana L. Robinson and Rebecca C. (Charles) Hull, grandniece Jennifer Cunningham, grandnephews Sean Robinson, James Cunningham IV, Adam Robinson and Ian Hull, and great-grandnieces Brianna Hamblin and Aria Robinson.
A funeral service was at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 23, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 3224 Jasper St. West Lafayette. Burial was at Washington Park East.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 3224 Jasper St. West Lafayette, IN 47906.
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