Support Ronald Stewart's Memorial Services

My name is Callie Reader (Stewart) and I am the daughter of Ronald Stokes Stewart. My dad was known as "Ronnie," "Rondog," "Niceville Flash," "Ron," and a few other names. Born in Pennsylvania and moved here due to his father's military orders, he grew up in Valparaiso. My father was the jack of all trades: a contractor, roofer, merchant marine, boat captain, painter, mechanic, landlord, and most importantly, a loving father, grandfather, and friend to many.

On October 30, my dad called me to come help him—he had bad chest pain, stating he thought he was having a heart attack. I, living 11 houses down from him, rushed over to him while I called 911. EMS and Valp Fire were speedy in their response time and took him to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, his pain was managed, but he had a bad headache. Over the next few days, his stomach would swell up so badly that he would need an emergency and exploratory surgery on the evening of 11/04/2024 to find out what was happening to his body. My dad had a rare diagnosis, Toxic Megacolon, and they had to remove his entire large intestine, giving him an ostomy bag and some stitches. His blood pressure would plummet constantly, so he wasn't able to have pain meds until they moved him to the ICU due to his pain levels. The ICU was able to get his pain under control, and when I left him yesterday to pick up the kids, he was snoring, and one could see the relief on his face that the pain wasn't as bad as it had been. I received a call at 5:08 am this morning, directly after I sent him an "I love you" text, on 11/06/2024, that my dad had gone into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 5:08 am, calling the time of death as they called me.

Ron has left behind a family that loved him very much and unfortunately, he did not have funeral services set up. He wanted to be cremated at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home, where his mother was taken when she passed. Between the cremation services, his urn, and his leftover bills, myself and my fiancé are left with taking care of these things for him. It is hard enough to lose a loved one, a dad, a grandpa, and a father-in-law, but it is harder when it is least expected and unprepared for.

Once services are figured out, I will update here and anywhere else it is needed.

Rest In Peace Daddy

Ronald Stokes Stewart

05-25-1952 - 11-06-2024