Ralph William Stewart

A Celebration of Life for Ralph W. Stewart is scheduled for Saturday, January 8, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy, Tyler, Texas. Ralph passed from his earthly life into the loving arms of Jesus on December 26, 2021. There will also be a webcast starting 5 minutes before the service which will be officiated by the FCA Area Director and Pastor Robert Bardin. Ralph grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated with a business degree from Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he met his loving wife, Judy. Ralph and Judy were married for 57 years and have 2 children, Debbie and baby, Christy, who is deceased. Debbie is married to Bobby Tyner and live close by. There are also 2 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Ralph worked for Marriott Corporation for 3 years in restaurant management before beginning a successful 24-year career at Hallmark Cards. Ralph was the youngest sales manager in the company’s history, winning numerous awards. He led the sales, product marketing, and retail division and retired in 1991 as the Director of Sales. After retirement, he started a consulting practice specializing in training. Mr. Stewart felt a higher calling to use his corporate skills to impact ministry. For more than 55 years, he served on The Fellowship of Christian Athletes boards around the country, and he said his passion to reach young athletes and coaches with the word of God took him to the ministry field. He served 2 years as the Executive Vice President with the International Institute of Christian Studies. In that role, he traveled much of the world negotiating contracts for university professors to teach. In 1996, Ralph joined FCA as Senior Vice President of Stewardship headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. He was one of the organizational founders of WAGS (the largest girls soccer organization in the country in D.C) and formed and coached a girls traveling select soccer team for 8 years, a girls traveling softball team for 9 years and a girls high school tennis team for 2 years. Ralph loved his family deeply. He and Judy continued to pour into the lives of the coaches and athletes lives at UT Tyler. One of Ralph’s gifts was encouragement… countless texts, emails and spoken words of encouragement to the coaches and athletes at UTT. Ralph knew Jesus Christ personally. He is now completely healed with no more pain. He stands new in power and life of Jesus whom he faithfully served. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25-26 In lieu of flowers, please send memorial gifts with checks made out to NETX FCA, P.O. Box 8777, Tyler, Texas 75711. (https://my.fca.org/robertbardin)