Mary Montgomery Stewart Warner Obituary (1918

Mary Montgomery Stewart Warner of Bremerton, WA, died at the age of 92, on January 21, 2011, six months after the death of her husband of 65 years, Charles J. Warner. She was born March 23, 1918, to Albert and Winnie (Bruton) Stewart in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She grew up there, and in 1934 moved away to attend Meredith College in Raleigh, where she majored in art and education, continuing the trend established by her mother, that women in her family become college graduates. During World War II, she worked as a draftsman at Wilmington (NC) Navy Yard while her fiance Charles fought in the South Pacific. They were married at her parents' home in Fayetteville on January 4, 1946. In 1960, they moved to Bremerton, where they continued raising three daughters. Born with an incredible artistic talent, Mary became a well-known portrait artist and received many commissions throughout her life. A prolific artist of all subject matter, she was recognized with many awards and she regularly exhibited her work in the Pacific Northwest. Mary held the prestigious status as a Signature Member of the NW Pastel Society. She was active in both St. Paul's and St. Antony's Episcopal Churches. She embodied the best attributes of Southern gentility and Christian virtues: hospitality, graciousness, inward beauty, courtesy, love, generosity, and consideration of others. A devoted wife and mother, she is survived by daughters Mary, Jessica, and Kristin; grandchildren Austin, Amy, and Lauren; great-granddaughters Lindsay, Brynn, and Emlyn, all of Washington; brothers John B. Stewart of Winston-Salem, NC and Dr. Albert Stewart of Fayetteville, NC, and many friends and extended family. A funeral service will be held Saturday, January 29, 2011, at 2:00 pm at St. Antony's Episcopal Church, 10239 Old Frontier Road NW, Silverdale, Washington, 360/698-0555. Interment will be next to her husband at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent/Covington, Washington, on Tuesday, February 1, at 1:00 pm. Arrangements are entrusted to Lewis Funeral Chapel. The family wishes to thank the staffs of Claremont East Retirement Apartments and Hospice of Kitsap County for their loving care of Mary.