Emmett Lee Stewart, Jr.

It is with broken hearts and great sorrow that we announce the death of Emmett Lee Stewart, Jr. Lee passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, August 7, 2023, after suffering a heart attack. He was 68 years old.

Lee was born in Hartsville, SC on to Geraldine Stewart-Dalton and the late Emmett Lee Stewart, Sr. He graduated from Hartsville High school in 1974 and attended Florence Darlington Technical College. He retired from Duke Energy in 2018 after 40 years of service.

In addition to his mother, Lee is survived by his wife of 23 years, Kay Abbott Stewart, three sisters, Susan Stewart Goode of Hartsville, Angela Stewart Barfield (Terry) of Troy, OH, and Kathy Ann Stewart of Andrews, SC, his children Emily Stewart Hamilton (Stephen) of Summerville, SC, Katie Stewart Winburn (Ronnie) of Hartsville, and Andrew Lee Stewart (Kerri) of Taylors, SC, grandchildren Ethan Lee Winburn of Hartsville, Kendall BreAnn Hamilton of Summerville, SC, and Murphie Sloan Stewart of Taylors, SC, four nieces Heather Morgan Smith (Charlie) of Hartsville, SC, Meredith Barfield Prenger (Todd) of Troy, OH, Mallory Barfield Allen (Tyler) of McDonough, GA, and Kaitlyn Barfield Way (Ben) of Upper Arlington, OH; two brothers in laws, Bob (Caroljean) Abbott, Hartsville and Dennis (Cheri) Abbott, Charlotte, N.C.; two great nieces and two great nephews, two uncles, and several cousins.

In addition to his father, Lee is preceded in death by his first wife Brenda Johnson Stewart, his grandparents Carson and Nita Morrison, A.J. and Elma Mae Stewart, cousin Jim Morrison, and brothers-in-law Johnny Goode and Larry Abbott.

Being the only boy and oldest of his siblings, Lee took his role as big brother seriously. He watched over his sisters, making sure they were always safe. He even ran off boyfriends that he did not feel were worthy of his sisters. He taught his youngest sister, Kathy, to play tennis which enabled her to receive an athletic scholarship to Coker College. Lee was always available for anything his family needed. He earned the title of Best Brother Ever. Among those who knew him, Lee was regarded as a good man. He was highly regarded by his coworkers and management at Duke Energy in Hartsville, and his reputation continues at the H.B. Robinson nuclear power plant as well as employees at other Duke Energy locations who knew and worked with him. His children regard Lee as the best father ever. They have many memories of vacations and trips to the beach or mountains. Lee always made sure his children’s needs were taken care of, including school and sports supplies, and Christmas gifts, going as far as to drive to Columbia after a twelve-hour shift to pick up a highly popular toy. Lee thought of Emily, Katie, and Andrew as his greatest accomplishment in life. Over his last days, he made sure that they knew how proud he was of each one of them and that he loved them. To Lee, his second greatest accomplishment was his 42-year career at Robinson beginning in 1979 as a security guard with Burns Security, then a radiation control technician. Lee began as a helper in the Health Physics department and rose to a Senior Technician earning over 300 job qualifications. During plant outages, he was always placed in a senior position, even at sister plants. Lee’s coworkers loved him, and enjoyed many years of working beside him, learning from him, and joking with him. Lee regaled his family with many stories of his coworkers and often said he needed to write a book. As a husband, there is no comparison. When Brenda was diagnosed with colon cancer, Lee drove her to Columbia for treatments, always making up the time he missed from work. After Brenda’s passing, he looked up Kay Abbott, a girl he had met at FDTC and dated one time in 1975. He found her in Birmingham, AL, and they kept I-20 hot for five months as they alternated weekends to see each other. They married in June 2000, twenty-five years after their one and only date. For the past twenty-three years, Kay has lived the best years of her life because of Lee. He made her the happiest and always strove to provide his best for her, just as his father had taught him. Lee was a Christian who grew up in the Methodist church. He gave his life to Christ at a young ten years old and was baptized by immersion in his teen years because he wanted to follow the example of Jesus. During trials in his life, Lee always turned to Bible to gain strength and guidance from his Lord.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 10 in the Chapel of Norton Funeral Home. Visitation will be held at 2:00 pm with a memorial service at 3:00. The family requests no flowers.

Donations may be made to your choice of the following: Healthwell Foundation 20440 Century Boulevard, Suite 250 Germantown, MD 20874 The Dylan Adams Endowment P.O. Box 1902 Hartsville, SC 29551 Hartsville Soup Kitchen 145 East College Ave Hartsville, SC 29550 Darlington County Humane Society P.O. Box 1655 Hartsville, SC 29551.

"A Life So Beautifully Lived, Should Be Beautifully Remembered."

Norton Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to serve the Stewart family.