Craig Llew Stewart

We are heartbroken to announce that Craig (Llew) Stewart has passed away.

He is survived by his son Larry Stewart; and daughters Leanne (Craig) Carson; Colleen Christie and son-in law Dave Buckland.  He was the admired grandpa to Kyle (Mikaela) Vokes; Shaelynn (Leandro), Madison (Eric), and Connor(Angelina) Carson; Alyssa and Riley (Jirah) Stewart; and Emma Christie.

He was predeceased by his wife Julia (nee Tomczak), daughter Brenda Buckland, his parents Albert and Nellie Stewart, and an infant sister, Anne.

Craig was born in Edmonton and after his mother passed away when he was 11 years old, he moved with his dad to Vancouver. He looked so forward to visits back to Namao to visit with his aunts, uncles and cousins, and as he got older he would work on the farm to help out as well. Craig saved up enough money and put himself through the Agriculture Program at Lakeland College in Vermillion graduating in 1958. It is here that he met some of his life long friends and he always looked forward to the class reunions they held. After working at a variety of jobs, he began working on the oil rigs. He met the love of his life Julia while in a diner in Drayton Valley. They were married in 1964 and started their family soon after. They eventually returned to his family farm in Namao to settle down for good in 1973 where they would remain until 2016. They spent their final 7 years living in St. Albert.

With a young family, Craig did not like spending long periods of time away that the oil fields demanded, so he chose to go back to school to become a journeyman welder. He spent many years working for Loblicks Fabrication shop in Gibbons before starting his own welding company where he manufactured and repaired dock levellers and other material handling systems. He was well respected for his knowledge and doing things right the first time, but even more for his fairness and honesty. He was always willing to drop everything to help his neighbouring farmers fix their broken equipment so they could get back to their work in the fields.

Working full time, maintaining a big yard and shop and having 4 kids kept Craig and his wife Julia busy, but they always made time for their family. They both volunteered in the community, with Craig being an active member of the Namao Volunteer Fire Department for many years, in addition to being a leader in the Namao 4H Mechanics club. He could be found scraping the outdoor rink in preparation for a Friday night skating party, or stacking chairs and tables at a community dance. He loved visiting Farm Fairs and any chance to mingle with his family, friends and neighbours.

He was very proud of his 7 grandchildren and went to as many school performances and sporting events as he could, and always looked forward to when they visited grandma and grandpa’s - which was very often as they all lived close. He would always playfully tease them, and always had a dad joke or two for them. He was a great role model for his entire family.

Craig’s family would like to thank those friends and relatives who always made time to pop in to visit dad or offer their support to us during his time in hospice. We cannot thank the entire staff at Foyer Lacombe for the exceptional care that he received while there. Your kindness will never be forgotten.

A Celebration of Life will be held for both Julie and Craig on. October 27, 2023 from 2:00 - 5:00 at the Namao Community Hall.

In lieu of flowers, we would ask that you consider making a donation to the Alberta Cancer Society, St. Albert Sturgeon Hospice Association, or a charity of your choice.