Keith A. Stewart

Capt. Keith A. Stewart USN (Ret.), 74, of Punta Gorda, FL set sail on his final voyage on October 5, 2010. He was the son of the late William and Margaret Stewart of Glasgow, Scotland, born on December 14, 1935 in San Francisco, CA. Keith graduated from Scarsdale (NY) High in 1953 and proceed to Cornell University and graduated in 1957 with a degree in geology. He was selected to the Sigma Gamma Epsilon Honorary Earth Sciences Society and was also the President of the Cornell chapter Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Keith began his long and illustrious Naval career through the NROTC unit there on the Cornell campus. During his Naval career he graduated from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA with an MBA, and as a student at the senior course of the Naval War College in Newport, RI. His final tour of duty was as an instructor at the Naval War College. Keith spent 30 years in the service of his country serving on nearly every class of surface ship in the Navy. Shore tours included two Pentagon assignments as well as the post-graduate and war college tours. He had two commands at sea, both surface combatants - a destroyer the USS Lang (FF-1052) and a guided missile cruiser USS Horne (CG-30). Following retirement from the Navy, Keith continued to serve his country as an instructor teaching maritime skills to Navy ship commanders as the senior ship handling instructor at Maritime Safety International Newport, RI. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Carol Stewart; son, William Wallace Stewart; stepson, Gene Dafoe, stepdaughter, Lynn Dafoe; nieces, Ann Gardener, Catherine Gordon, and Mary Perrins; nephews, Mike Mountford, Mark Mountford, and David Mountford; five granddaughters and a grandson. A memorial service to celebrate Keith's life will be held at 11:00 AM on November 12, 2010 at the Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services, Punta Gorda FL. Following the service will be a lunch at the Isles Yatch Club. In lieu of flowers please send a donation on behalf of Keith to the Cornell University general scholarship fund. To express condolences the family, please sign the online guest book.