|
 GLOBE
STEWART
STEWART, Edward Emslie
Died peacefully on September 25 in Trillium Hospital. Beloved husband of
Victoria and life-long cheerleader for sister Helen and brother Atholl of
Windsor. This Notice is given in accordance with Ed's wishes.
No list of academic
achievements, no record of career positions held, no honours given him,
nor did he wish to name any organizations to which he preferred donations
be given.
An unusual notice to many,
perhaps. But to those who truly know the measure of the man, not at all.
He was a man of stature and of true humility, loved, loving and lovable.
Ed, your being among us, gave us an opportunity to love you and thereby,
raise ourselves a little higher.
Private cremation has
already taken place. When all arrangements are in place for a memorial
service, later on, they will be announced in two Toronto newspapers in the
Obituaries section. Please, be patient.
Please see Obituary Section
as well.
---------------------------------
STEWART
STEWART, Edward Emslie
Further to death notice
The following quote from Life of the Party, a book by Ed's long-time and
dear friend, E.A. Goodman, states well Ed's role in his longest held
position in the Public Service. He loved the work and was dedicated to
doing it well.
''Stewart, like Davis, was
a man of great personal loyalty. He was loyal to his family, to his
friends, to his Scottish heritage, and to his ideals. If he thought that
something was wrong, either because it was improper or because it was not
in the best interests of the government or the people of Ontario, you
could stand on your head and do cartwheels and he would not budge an inch.
This is not to suggest that he wasn't open to persuasion, he just was not
open to the slightest impropriety. During the almost eleven years that I
viewed his service to Davis from a close vantage point, he never once
forgot who was the premier and who was the deputy, nor did he hesitate to
speak his mind even when he knew the advice was not going to be welcomed
by the premier.''
Over the past few years, Ed
came to love gardening and our backyard was a glorious array of colour.
Perhaps you know an older person who might be lifted in spirit by
receiving, for no reason whatsoever, a bouquet of flowers, live or silk,
from some of you who read this. I am sure Ed would feel greatly honoured
by that. That is the only donation suggestion that can be offered.
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TORONTO STAR OBITUARY
Ed Stewart was deputy to Davis `Friend, adviser' to former premier rose to
top post in public service
ROBERT BENZIE
STAFF REPORTER
Edward Emsley Stewart, the most powerful bureaucrat in former premier Bill
Davis' government, has died. He was 74.
Mr. Stewart, who was known as Ed, died in a Mississauga hospital Saturday
after suffering a stroke about a week ago.
A long-time civil servant, Mr. Stewart ascended the ranks during the
latter half of the Progressive Conservatives' 42-year political dynasty at
Queen's Park, eventually becoming Davis' secretary of cabinet.
"He was respected by everybody. There's not a person you'll find who will
say anything unkind about him," Davis, premier from 1971 to 1985, said
yesterday.
"He was one of the most able public servants that I have known in my time
in public life," he said. "I can't say enough about him in terms of both
his professional competence, his sensitivity and, for me, (he was) an
extremely close friend and adviser."
Davis remained close with Mr. Stewart after both left public life in 1985.
He noted his friend, a former teacher, "was totally dedicated to
education."
The two first met in 1962 and five years later Mr. Stewart became the
deputy of then-education minister Davis in the government of premier John
Robarts.
After Davis succeeded Robarts in 1971, Mr. Stewart became the premier's
deputy minister and, finally, the secretary of cabinet, the highest rank
in the Ontario public service.
In his 1984 biography, Bill Davis, journalist Claire Hoy called Mr.
Stewart the "king of all Davis doesn't survey (and much of what he does)."
Hoy's book recounts Mr. Stewart was "a confirmed workaholic whose only
passion outside his job is the Detroit Tigers" and the University of
Michigan Wolverines football team. He even ran a baseball pool out of his
office for reporters and staff.
Conservative Leader John Tory, who was Davis' principal secretary, called
Mr. Stewart "one of Ontario's greatest" public servants.
"One could point to many great accomplishments which reflect his work,
including such things as the college system," Tory said yesterday. "His
greatest contribution came, however, in the form of the candid,
unvarnished advice he gave — advice which always pointed in the direction
of doing the right things."
After leaving the public service, Mr. Stewart, an officer of the Order of
Canada, became executive vice-president of Labatt Brewing.
Born in Montreal in 1930 to Scottish immigrants, he grew up in Windsor and
London, earning his doctorate in education from the University of Toronto.
He leaves wife Vicki, a brother, Athol, and a sister, Helen.
A memorial service is being planned. |
