Her dearest friends call her “Bunny.”
Mary Stewart was first given the nickname as a toddler, but no one remembers why.
That was, after all, more than nine decades ago. On Sunday, Oct. 27, Stewart celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at a retirement community in Copley.
The birthday lady was escorted to the gathering by her hairdresser of five decades, John Earnest. Earnest placed a glittery tiara on Stewart’s silver white hair, wished her a happy birthday and sent her forward to enjoy the festivities.
Sisters with the Akron alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. encircled her, serenading Stewart with a birthday song. The organization’s president, Elise Cooke-Holmes, sent a congratulatory letter.
Another sorority sister, Jacqueline Jackson, has known Stewart since 1981. Jackson described the centenarian as “elegant, classy, gracious, uplifting, encouraging and a model of etiquette, decorum and protocol.”
So many years, full of memories of all the people she’s inspired.
One of six children, Stewart was born in Columbus, Georgia, on Oct. 27, 1924, to Curtis and European Parker. She met her future husband, Carstell Octavian Stewart, when he was stationed in the U.S. Army at nearby Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning).
While her husband served in the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion — the Triple Nickles were the first all-Black parachute infantry unit in the U.S. military — she earned a master’s degree in education. She was a public school educator for more than 40 years in Akron Public Schools.
The jewel of Akron is its people. They’re vibrant and resilient. Flawed, yet thoughtful and nurturing. And all of them come with compelling stories. That’s why we launched “Akron in 330.” This series offers a glimpse into everyday folks’ journeys across our many neighborhoods — 330 words at a time. Know someone we should consider? Tell us here.
She loved teaching and enriching young minds. She was also active in her community and church, volunteering for social service organizations, from St. Philip’s Episcopal Church to First Tee — Greater Akron.
On Rainbow Drive in West Akron, they raised four children and a grandson.
(Her husband practiced podiatric medicine for more than four decades before retiring in 1998.)
One of their sons, Timothy Stewart, said she was hilarious as a mom, but… “don’t think you’re going to run over her, even though she was just 5-2.”
