On Monday, May 24, 2021, Patricia Jane (Fowler) Stewart, loving wife and mother of six, passed away peacefully at the age of 94 following a brief illness.
Patricia was born by C-section during a snowstorm on March 17, 1927 in Newburgh, NY to James Sutton Fowler and Anna Marie (Quimby) Fowler. She started off her education in a one room schoolhouse on Mt. Zion Road. Moving on to a centralized school system, she graduated Marlboro High School in 1948. She completed one year of college at SUNY Delhi studying Home Economics. She was employed at Woolworths in Newburgh in retail sales. On July 4, 1954, she married William LaVerne (Bill) Stewart at the First Presbyterian Church in Marlboro, NY, the third of four generations to do so. Together she and Bill raised six children: Patricia Joyce, Victoria June, Shirley Janice, Marilyn Julia, James David, and Rubyann Marie.
Like her father before her, Patricia worked on the family farm and later, her cousin Howard Quimby’s farm. She grew apples and grapes, along with a variety of other fruits and vegetables that she froze or canned to feed her family during the winter months. She also enjoyed growing flowers. She acted as the family historian and was always quick to tell a story about past generations which included Baxter, Garrison, Quimby, Relyea, Deyo and Fowler sides of the family having researched them along with her daughters. Some she could trace back 14 generations. Raising six children was not an easy task but that was the focus of her life along with her cats. One of her favorite animals was a cat named Queen Esther who spent 22 years by her side. She leaves behind her current feline family of Ruth, Amos, and Sarah. Patricia was a person of routine, rising early like most farmers to start her daily tasks. She enjoyed corresponding with her good friend Ellen Meyers, her bridesmaid Gladys Stinson, and several cousins. She was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church in Marlboro and the Farm Bureau Association. She will be remembered by her family for her steadfastness in life.
Patricia said “A part of living this long is that many leave this earth before you”. She was predeceased by her father, James Sutton Fowler, her mother, Anna Marie Louisa (Quimby) Fowler and her husband William LaVerne Stewart. She was also predeceased by 3 of her children, Victoria June Stewart, James David Stewart, and Patricia Joyce Frank. She is survived by her daughters, Shirley (Nelson) Lam, Marilyn Julia (Alex) Lechner, and Rubyann (Steven) Raizman. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Andre (Brittany) Lechner, Austin (Ariana) Lechner, Katie (Robert – fiancé) Lam, Daniel Lam, Aaron Raizman, and Hannah Raizman. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Harry (Barbara) Stewart and several nieces, nephews and their children.
A wake was held at DiDonato’s Funeral Home on Friday, May 28, 2021. The funeral service was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Marlboro on Saturday, May 29, 2021. Burial took place at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Her daughter, Patricia Joyce, was interred at that time in a joint celebration of their lives.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church in Marlboro, NY or to the SPCA in your local community.