Community Grieves Loss of Chuck Stewart, Sr.

By Jennifer L. Warren

BEACON – He loved his family. He loved his community. Above all else, Charles A. Stewart, Sr. loved people… all people.

Once he met you, looked into your eyes, and shook your hand, you could be guaranteed you had a connection, a friend, and a true supporter; he would fight for you and all you believed in because you mattered to him. Monday morning a large crowd of many of those lives that “Mr. Stewart” (as he was so commonly, lovingly referred to), turned out at his Homegoing Service at Beacon’s Springfield Baptist Church, to show their appreciation to a man whose kind words, genuine sense of care, selfless actions, and sometimes just mere presence had forever transformed them. If you were lucky enough, you might even get awarded a nickname.

“He nicknamed me trailblazer,” recalled Gay Lee, former City of Newburgh Councilperson, who knew Mr. Stewart for “just five or six years,” but was affected deeply by him. “I remember him telling me: people don’t fight today the way they used to; each time I did something for civil rights, Chuck would try to get it on the front page.”

Those very issues of justice were the guiding impetus of Stewart’s burning desire to create THE HUDSON VALLEY PRESS, one of several legacies in the media arena he leaves behind. As the first black publisher in Orange County, Stewart served not only as a role model for others who wanted to make a difference in the media field, but for countless people whose stories and struggles were too often unfairly trivialized, even disregarded. Stewart not only ensured they were told, but done so with class.

“He strived to find the positive in his paper, whose influence has spread far across the Hudson Valley, said Pastor Elder Thermond Herring of the Mt. Carmel Church of Christ Disciples of Christ. “I am sure it has motivated many, many people to do better; his legacy will live on.”

That resounding influence will further be felt through Stewart’s love affair with music. An accomplished singer, who cherished the vocal talents of Sam Cooke, Stewart was honored at Monday’s service with two of his idol’s numbers, “Touch the Hem of His Garment” as well as “Last Mile of the Way,” performed by his granddaughter Ms. Charity Williams and brother-in-law Mr. Clarence Hoggard. Stewart’s passion for helping people attain justice and equality extended to the music realm. When he saw talent, he would not stop until he was able to assist in fostering it. Among those musicians was one Stewart made multiple trips to Danbury, Connecticut to see, reminding him to never stop pursuing his dreams. Stewart’s relentless “nudging” paid off, as his life-long friend Elijah Worthington went on to perform with some of the top musicians in the business. That friend never forgot the interest and belief Stewart showed in him, planting seeds that budded musical genius.

“I lost a good friend, who always, always stood up for me, and always encouraged me and made me believe in myself,” said Stewart’s music friend. Worthington “He truly made a man out of me.”

A gentleman to the core, Mr. Stewart, one of seven children and the middle child, as well as a product of the deep south’s lingering racism, had to fight hard to carve out his own path to manhood. He never once wavered from any of the challenges that presented themselves; in fact, each one made him stronger and wiser.

“My brother had one of the strongest inner fortitudes I have ever seen,” said his brother Mr. Curtis Stewart after reciting the Obituary/Reflection segment of the service. “He had thte strongest will to live of anyone I have ever known.”

That unparalleled perseverance was seen and felt by not only his family, but the entire community. In fact, his impact has been so profound, Newburgh Mayor Judy Kennedy officially declared Monday, November 21, 2016, Chuck Stewart Sr. Day, one whose fabric is weaved with the man’s mantras: loyalty, integrity and equality for all. Whether it was for the unforgettable, warm smile he flashed, his devotion to civil rights and justice for all people from all walks of life, his soothing and melodic voice, or his uncanny ability to make every person he encountered feel special and as if they mattered, Chuck Stewart Sr.’s spirit lives on in his children, grandchildren, entire family, and the place he loved, Newburgh.

As the close to two hour service came to an end, the officiating Reverend Ronald O. Perry struggled to find an exact word, or phrase that embodied precisely who Mr. Stewart was; it eventually surfaced.

“A good man,” Perry, a long-time friend of the Stewart family asserted. “And even good people are not excused from death.” Reflecting further, Perry added, “He left so many good things behind, and sometimes it only takes one good thing to be remembered; Let all the great stories he penned, songs he sung and kind deeds he did be remembered and live on.”

It’s that “eternal light” that led many to view Monday’s service not so much as a goodbye but as something a little less permanent.

“My cousin gave love every day of his life, and he got along with everyone,” said his cousin Brenda Stewart-Foster. “So this is not a good-bye; it’s a ‘see ya later.’”