John Thomas Stewart, III

John Thomas Stewart III of Lawrence, Kansas, passed peacefully Friday, December 6, 2024, at the age of 88. 

John was born February 16, 1936, in Wellington, Kansas, to John T. Stewart, Jr. and Ruth Jassoy Stewart. Ruth passed away from scarlet fever five days after his birth, leaving his father alone to raise a newborn. Grandparents, Herman and Louise Jassoy, took baby John into their home to assist with his upbringing. Herman passed away when John was seven, leaving Louise to care for John. At 13, he lost his father following an emergency surgery.

John graduated from Wellington High School in 1954. Following his graduation, he looked forward to becoming a Jayhawk and joining Alphu Nu chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. His father was a proud supporter of KU, and had taken John to many KU sporting events, passing his love for the school to his son.

John married Linda Bliss in June of 1956. Sadly, he lost his grandmother, Louise, two months later. He entered the KU School of Business, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting in 1958. Following graduation, John, Linda and JTS IV “J” returned to Wellington to manage Stewart Companies and grow their family welcoming Scott, Deric, and Dru.

John carried on the management of Stewart Properties which was created by his grandfather in the early 1900s. In addition, John became CEO of Plessey Aero Precision Corp., a local airplane parts manufacturing company which consisted of Welco and Midwest subdivisions, winning a Small Business Award of the year. Plessey was purchased by GE Capital of London, later by Plessey PLC. John continued as CEO until his retirement, leaving to give more attention to personal business interests of land and banking. During John’s tenure as CEO, Plessey became the largest employer in Sumner County. In addition, John was also a director of Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Chairman of Lamar Electro-Air Corp. in Wellington and served as director of KU’s Oread Laboratories, Inc. John dedicated 52 years to Intrust Financial Corporation in Wichita, the longest serving director. He also held the position of CEO and Chairman of First Financial Corporation serving Impact bank of Wellington, and Caldwell, Kansas and Medford, Oklahoma.

Outside of John’s banking ventures, he invested in real estate. He managed Stewart Farms, was director of Charter Equities in Wellington, and an investor in Fall Creek Farms development in Lawrence, Kansas.

John’s support of the University of Kansas didn’t end after his graduation. He was recently honored as the longest consecutive donor of record to KU – 73 years! John followed in his father’s footsteps by serving on the Endowment Association. He also served on the KU Business School board of trustees. 

In 2007, KU’s Danforth Chapel reopened after remodeling. John’s father was one of the Chapel’s original donors. The Stewart family was the lead donor for the renovations. 

Not only has John provided continued financial support to KU, he gave his time and knowledge to help grow the University’s presence throughout the country. While serving the University of Kansas Endowment Association, he served on the Executive Committee (as did his father) and was a member of the Finance Committee as well. He was Chairman of the Executive Committee from 1986-1994 and served as National President of the Kansas Alumni Association from 1995-1996. He was on the Board of Governors for the Adams Alumni Center, served on the Executive Committee for Campaign Kansas, the Greater University Fund, the KU Athletics Board, the Council for Progress and the Advisory Board for the School of Business. John dedicated the John T. Stewart Children’s Center to honor his father. 

In 1978, John was presented with the Fred Ellsworth Medallion for his “unique and significant service to the school.” In 1990, John was a proud recipient of KU’s Distinguished Service Citation, the highest University award which acknowledges outstanding achievement for the betterment of society. He also earned the Distinguished Service award from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

John was very active in the support of his church and community. He was a faithful member of the Wellington, Kansas, Methodist Church where he served on the church finance committee, the building committee as co-chairman and the administrative board as a trustee. John was involved in the Kansas Investor’s Club, Wichita Country Club, Flint Hills National Golf Club, The Jayhawk Club, Garden of the Gods Club (Colorado), and Eldorado Country Club (California). 

John developed numerous scholarships available to local graduating seniors to further their education as well as scholarships available to current KU students. 

John dedicated his time and efforts to bettering the communities where he lived. He served as the Funding Director and Chairman of the Kansas Health Foundation for over 25 years, served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, was a Trustee for the Kansas 4-H Foundation, served on the executive board for the Quivira Council of Boy Scouts, and served on the Industrial Development board of Wellington, Kansas. John and Linda were instrumental in the conception, planning, development, and building of the Wellington Humane Society (serving all of Sumner County) which was dedicated in November 2019. The Stewart family continues to support the project. 

John leaves behind his wife of 68 years, Linda Bliss Stewart; children John T. IV “J” (Christine) Stewart; Scott Stewart; Deric (Mindy) Stewart; Dru (Thomas) Fritzel; his faithful dog, Sally; 12 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. John was proceeded in death by his parents, grandparents, and infant great grandson, Wellington Stewart Fritzel.

On Friday, December 13, 2024, in a private family service, John will be laid to rest with his faithful feline, Sunshine, of 24 years, at Prairie Lawn Cemetery in Wellington, Kansas. The family will welcome guests for a come and go memorial gathering in John’s honor from 1:00pm – 3:00pm on Friday the 13th at the Wellington Methodist Church, 202 W. Harvey Ave. in Wellington. A second memorial come and go gathering will take place on Saturday, December 21, 2024, from 3:00pm – 5:00pm at The Jayhawk Club, 1809 Birdie Way, Lawrence, Kansas.

Any personal correspondence to the family may be sent to Stewart Companies, PO Box 2, Wellington, Kansas, 67152. 

Suggested memorial donations may be sent to the Wellington Humane Society, PO Box 494, Wellington, Kansas, 67152 or KU Endowment, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Mail Stop 3012, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160, to benefit the KU Cancer Center. Online contributions may be made at www.kuendowment.org/give. Please indicate donations are in memory of John T. Stewart III.

John’s family wishes to thank the staff of KU Medical Center, Neuvant House, DaVita Dialysis, Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Ascend Health for their dedicated and caring service. 

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