James Arnold Stewart, (Grandpa, Papa Jim, Big Jim), passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 6:15 at University Hospital in San Antonio - comforted by his wife Joy Stewart and stepdaughter Danna Townsend at his side. His other stepdaughter Darla LaFiette was in and out of the hospital supporting her mom and the rest of the family for his final days at University Hospital. Many of his grandchildren were able to talk to him and share their love with him on facetime before he left to be with his Lord and Savior!
Jim grew up in the San Antonio-Boerne area playing sports and excelling at football. He had a football scholarship to play at the University of Texas at Austin but chose to play at a smaller school, Sul Ross. Jim joined the Army and met his first wife as he was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. They moved back to the San Antonio area where he was a Produce Broker on the San Antonio market for many years. In his early thirties he played on the San Antonio Toros while keeping his day job – being the oldest player on the team. Jim continued playing basketball with his son and grandkids into his sixties and played for a little while after he turned seventy!
Jim and Margie moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1975 where he was very involved in his local Nazarene Church and where he eventually started S.W.A.T, “Servants with a tool”. The S.W.A.T. team would travel to churches in North and South Carolina and Virginia to take on building projects for Nazarene churches. Later they extended it to churches outside the Nazarene Denomination. Margie passed away in 2004 and Jim moved back to Texas.
After his wife passed away, he remarried Joy Stark, who happened to be his neighbor for a few years while Jim and Margie lived in San Antonio. Jim and Margie had been friends with Joy and her children for over 30 years since they had been neighbors, so the marriage was an easy transition for the two families as well as the grandkids Joy and Jim both had by this time! Jim and Joy continued working with the S.W.A.T. team and Joy went with Jim to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and they led the Nazarene Church effort to rebuild and provide help to the devastated area. Jim and Joy lived in Mountain Home, TX for the duration of their marriage and had many family gatherings where kids, grandkids, cousins, and friends that feel like family, would visit them at their ranch!
Jim is survived by his younger sister Naomi Higgins; wife, Joy Stewart; Jim’s children Janet Stewart and Ken Stewart (wife Tonya and children Austin Stewart, Amy Stewart, Earl Stewart (wife Miriam), Asher Stewart (wife Brittany, Matilda and soon to be Clover), David Stewart, Solomon Stewart (wife Caroline), Alisha (husband Trevor Morton), Windy Hayes; as well as Joy’s daughters Danna (Tommy Townsend, Claire, Andrew), and Darla (husband Danny LaFiette). Jim’s step-grandson Trey Hayes preceded him in death as well as his older brothers (Ed, Arvin, Gilbert, Gerren, Tom) and his older sister Tessie.
Jim was a Godly man, father, and grandfather and friend, and adopted “father” and “grandfather” to many! He will be missed by all who know and loved him!