John (Jack) Stewart, 82, of Jasper, died at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison on Friday, July 17 with his wife at his side. The son of the late John Richard and Winona (Moon) Stewart, Jack was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on November 11, 1943. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Robert Stewart.

Interested in birds in his early teens he became a member of Morris County Audubon in NJ and continued as a National Audubon Society member all his life, including serving on the National Audubon Board and as president of Arkansas Audubon. Birds led Jack to an interest in nature and an appreciation of the interconnectedness of all life.

He and his wife spent 17 years teaching in international schools in the Dominican Republic (where their daughter was born), Iran, both Irian Jaya and Sumatra, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and enjoyed learning about life in deserts to tropical forests. He and his wife retired and built a solar electric home near the Buffalo River.

Jack enjoyed wandering in natural areas, classical music, reading, writing and advocating for many causes important to protecting the environment. He was good at making people feel comfortable with him, including his students and people of all walks of life. He particularly enjoyed conversations with his granddaughter Alicia.

He is survived by his wife, Pam, daughter and son in law, Kristina & Tom Minior and granddaughter, Alicia.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date. If you would like to make a donation in Jack’s memory, some of the organizations he supported are National Audubon Society, Arkansas Audubon Society and the Newton County Library.