Lt. John Stewart (ret)

[hudson144 150]

With deep regret I pass on the information of the untimely death of John Stewart formerly of Tuckahoe NY . John retired a few years ago making his residence with his wife Nancy in montauk. John was a hard working Firefighter/officer. He was an avid fisherman and was well known for his musical talent as a drummer with his band "Head First" with his long time friends in the lower Westchester area. Wake and Funeral arrangements will be posted at a later time. Rest in peace Stewie!

[JAD622 40]

With deep regret I pass on the information of the untimely death of John Stewart formerly of Tuckahoe NY . John retired a few years ago making his residence with his wife Nancy in montauk. John was a hard working Firefighter/officer. He was an avid fisherman and was well known for his musical talent as a drummer with his band "Head First" with his long time friends in the lower Westchester area. Wake and Funeral arrangements will be posted at a later time. Rest in peace Stewie!

A good man gone too soon. R.I.P. John. Condolences to his wife Nancy and all his Brothers from FDMV.

[hudson144 150]

Arrangements: Wake to be held at the Westchester Funeral Home in Eastchester, Sat 3/5,Sun 3/6 . 2-4,7-9 pm.

funeral will be monday at the Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe 0930 hrs.

Edited March 3, 2011 by hudson144

[efdcapt115 1,511]

Lieutenant John Stewart, FDMV.

If ever the saying "Only The Good Die Young" applied to anybody, it applies to Stew. I knew and looked up to this man, and followed his band, the original name was "Wild Oats" back in the late '70's for decades. They played a concert in the auditorium of the Eastchester High School, and were doing "Southern Rock" which they stuck with for decades. Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Topp, Marshall Krenshaw, the list goes on, and the gigs went on. The band became a staple at BenDovers Bar in Pelham through the '80's-'90's.....

Along the way they changed the name of the band to "Head First" and adapted to changes in popular music along the way. But they were Rockers through it all, and Stewie drove the band from behind the drums for all of those years.

Almost as famous as his bands exploits to those who knew him, were his Forth of July parties, which he held annually at his home on Tuckahoe Ave for probably twenty years.

But he was a damn good firefighter; the kind of guy that nobody on his job ever had a bad word to say about (how many of us can claim that...) because of his easy-going attitude, ability, and humility.

When he scored the Montauk house, it became the east end home for his band. These guys were more than a band, they were a family. The house had enough bedrooms to fit everybody, and come they did. The band started playing regular summertime gigs out in Montauk, and reinvented themselves once again.

He'd been fighting a health issue for a few years, and we all knew he was in for a tough fight. But, he still laughed like he always did, through the pain, and never let on to most, how much the cards were against him.

Westchester has lost one of the nicer men to ever wear the uniform. Even though some of us knew this day was coming, it is nonetheless heartbreaking.

Rest in Peace Stewie. You will never be forgotten.......

Photo: John and I after a pin job on the Bronxville/MV border.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

OBITUARY FOR JOHN J. STEWART

OCTOBER 29, 1952 – MARCH 2, 2011

John J. Stewart, 58, of Eastchester and Montauk, New York, passed away on March 2, 2011, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was the beloved husband of Nancy (Becht) Stewart and the adored brother of Gail Marie Stewart. He was the son of the late Josephine (Marallo) Stewart of Eastchester, and the late Raymond J. Stewart of Verplanck, NY. He is also survived by his life-long friends, “brothers”, and fellow band members, Ronny Colantuono, Keith Fulsher and Frank Calderone.

John was born on October 29, 1952, in Eastchester, where he lived his entire life until his retirement to Montauk in 2008. He graduated from Eastchester High School in 1970 and attended Sullivan Community College until entering the U.S. Army. John served as a member of the Military Police in West Germany until his honorable discharge in 1974.

John was proudly sworn in to the Mount Vernon Fire Department in 1980, serving the City of Mt. Vernon from 1980 until his retirement in 2008. He was a lieutenant who was an Arson Investigator, an Emergency Medical Technician, and served for 15 years as a member of Rescue #1. As a member of the Mt. Vernon Fire Department, John was the recipient of many commendations and citations, the last of which was a Class 1 Citation for bravery above and beyond the call of duty, entering a burning senior citizen complex before the hose line and crawling to rescue an unconscious woman in her apartment. Among his fondest memories, however, were the deliveries of two babies on two different occasions while an EMT.

Read more at:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/lohud/obituary.aspx?n=john-j-stewart&pid=149063601