DANIEL ALBERT STEWART
BORN JUNE 29 1942
PLACE: HOLLISTER CALIFORNIA
PASSED AWAY JUNE 3 2010
IN HIS HOME CASTLEGAR, BC.
It is very sad news that we have lost a
friend to many of us in Castlegar. If
you didn’t know him by name you will
remember him riding his black dated
bicycle down the main streets of
Castlegar. You know, the man with the
long white beard and hair flying in the
wind with his black helmet snugly placed
on his head. Dan would tell me often of
his hearing the little kids saying, “There is the Real Santa Claus. He lives in Castlegar.”
Dan was an extremely talented man. He moved to Canada in 1967 and became a Canadian Citizen in 1973. His education included his Bachelor of Science where he graduated
at the Oregon State University prior to his moving to Canada. He never
stopped learning. Just for the fun of it, he would read Calculus and
Physics, and was seen a lot at the Castlegar Library. In fact, there is the model of the Castlegar Library which Dan created and still sits in a
prominent place in that building. He also restored a Castlegar Museum
model of the old water tower which is still in the Caboose at the Train Station.
The neighbourhood was blessed by Dan’s presence. Every day Dan would
be seen attending his garden, enjoying watching the birds, and as one
neighbour said to me, “I saw Dan smelling the wild roses across the street,
and he looked over at me and said ‘Always take time to smell the roses in
your life.’” Many of the residents of Castlegar would stop for a moment
and admire his beautiful garden setting. In the wintertime we also would
again see Dan out just about everyday, shovelling the sidewalk in front of
his home and even the parking stalls for others. Oh how we are going to
miss that!
Other friends of Dan like Jack, Marilyn and Mabel and Ashley would call
upon Dan to fix something. He was so handy with his hands. Wiring,
plumbing, furnaces, doors, etc would all be fixed by Dan. In return, he
would receive some good old home cooking for a thank you.
Another passion of Dan’s was the Stars and Astronomy. He would often be
seen outside in the late evening looking at one of the stars that was
appearing in the heavens at a specific time in the month. He would tell
people of interest a “heads up” on an upcoming meteor shower before it
was ever announced on the news.
My grandchildren will always have wonderful memories of Dan. How he
would stay up all night to finish their “rushed” school projects that
somehow just had to be handed in the next day. They would get a top
mark for his work. Thanks Dan. They would always come by to say hello
and talk awhile with him. He could relate to children, and yet talk to
Doctors’ friends with highly intelligent conversations.
I do have to mention that he did so much for my mom. He lived in her
basement suite for 20 years, and during that time helped her so much.
Toward the end of her life, we would see Dan driving my mom to town
when she couldn’t drive anymore and we would chuckle about how it
looked like DRIVING MISS DAISY.
A calm spirit is my thought about Dan.
I will surely miss our long talks about life.
He had a way of changing troubles into positive toneand always made you feel better.