Herbert E. Stewart

Horan and McConaty

Herbert Eugene Stewart
February 17, 1930 - June 27, 2011
Resided in Denver, CO

Obituary

Herb Stewart, 81, of Denver died June 27, 2011.  He is survived by his wife, Pauline, son, Bruce (Vanessa), daughters, Paula Sue Heinrich, Paula Mae Kosloske, Carla (Al) Hornung and Nancy, nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.  He is also survived by his sister Beverly (Jim) Douglass of Kansas City and brother Max Stewart of Las Vegas, Hubert Stewart (Deceased).

Visitation is scheduled Monday, July 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and the funeral service is scheduled Tuesday, July 5, at 10:30 a.m.  Both services will be at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd.  Following the funeral, the burial will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to the Shriner's Hospital for Children in care of Horan & McConaty.

Herb was born in Johnson, Kansas, and graduated from high school in Utica, Kansas, in 1948.  His high school basketball team won the state championship.  Herb had the opportunity to play against the Harlem Globetrotters twice in his high school career.  Those were the days when the Globetrotters would barnstorm the country, playing any team that could fill a gymnasium.  Herb was a four year starter, playing center at the towering height of 5'9".  He always said that "Meadowlark Lemon made him feel like he had never even seen a basketball before."  In addition to basketball and baseball, his favorite hobby was flying the planes of local farmers whenever he got the chance.  He didn't have a license but the kids from the large ranches with planes used to let him fly the planes when they got up in the air.  One of the few things that Herb wanted to do but did not accomplish was to earn his pilot's license.

Ten days after Herb left high school in 1948 he traveled to Denver, where he attended Emily Griffith Opportunity School.  Herb's first job as a barber was in Dighton, Kansas.

While in Kansas he met Pauline Warren. He would drive out to her parent's farm outside of Garden City.  They were married September 2, 1951.  Seventeen days later he left to serve his country.

Herb had applied for the U. S. Air Force but before he could be accepted he was drafted by the Army.  He was assigned to the Army Combat Engineers, serving "officially" in the role of a Supply Sergeant.  He was stationed in the Yokohama Ordnance depot in Japan.  When Herb was released from duty he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding his service.  He promised not to disclose any information about that period for the next 50 years.  On his 73rd birthday he sat down with his family and, for the first time in his life, explained what he had done between 1951 and 1953.  That really explains all you need to know about the man.  His word or handshake was all that was needed.

When Herb returned to Pauline and Denver in 1953, he owned and operated the Ala-Fed Barber shop, located at Alameda and Federal.  In 1960, in addition to running the barber shop, he took a job at the Emily Griffith Barber College in Denver to help make ends meet for the two children he now had at home.

In 1962 Herb decided he wanted to further his education and become a teacher full time.  He enrolled in college at Colorado State University.  Herb ran the barber shop by day and attended college at night.  He had an apartment in Fort Collins where he could get some sleep.  Typically he would turn in for bed at 1:00 am and then be back in Denver to open the barber shop each day at 8:00 am.  These were the days of high powered Volkswagens so the commute was not quite as tough as one would imagine.  He received his Bachelors of Education in 1969.  During this time, Herb and Pauline became extended-family parents of two teenage girls.  This expanded the family to six and then eventually seven when his last daughter was born.  During his career teaching in the Denver Public Schools, Herb also earned his Master's degree in education in 1977.  He earned an additional 90 hours over and above the Masters requirements.

Herb became a member of the Denver Teachers Club, Englewood Masons, El Jebel Shrine, Tanzer's dance club and the Colorado Vocational Association.

Herb retired in 1991 and traveled across 5 continents, including a return trip to Hiroshima.  Herb had done radiation measurements in Hiroshima during his service.  He first had visited the city during his Army tenure.  The sight of the city a handful of years after the bombing that ended World War II was a subject that haunted him throughout his lifetime.

Herb worked tirelessly in the community to benefit the associations of which he was a member.  The main recipient was the Children's Hospital Fund for the El Jebel Shrine.

Once again, the family asks that you donate to the El Jebel Shriners Children's Hospital Fund in Herb Stewart's name, in care of Horan and McConaty.

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http://www.horancares.com/obituary/Herbert-Eugene-Stewart/Denver/947198