JACKSON, MI — Marilou Parsons Stewart, 94, passed away peacefully on June 8, 2026 at Summit Park Assisted Living Center in Jackson, Michigan, under the care of the Summit Park staff and Hospice.

Marilou was born on August 23, 1931, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the sixth child of John and Marie Parsons. In 1940, the Parsons family moved to Oneonta, New York, where Marilou attended elementary, middle, and high school. It was in Oneonta that she met her husband and the love of her life, David Arnold Stewart.

In 1949, David and Marilou, along with their two young children, David Jr. and Deborah, moved to Angola, Indiana. While David pursued his degree in Civil Engineering from Tri- State College, Marilou supplemented their income by working as a sought-after research paper typist for David’s fellow engineering students. David earned his degree in 1957 and his Professional Engineering License in the early 1960s. As David’s career took him to various engineering firms in eastern United States, Marilou expertly facilitated each move, transforming their new houses into homes for their family. While living in Binghamton, New York, they welcomed their third child, John Harold. David later worked in Woodbury, New Jersey, before finishing his career with firms in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gifted with a lovely voice, Marilou was often asked to sing at weddings and events while growing up in Oneonta. Throughout her life, she was a dedicated member of their local church choirs and frequently performed in community musical theater productions, where she was highly regarded and often cast in a leading role.

During employment, and following David’s retirement the couple dedicated themselves to the complete restoration of “Stone Forge”; their historic circa -1756 home outside of New Hope, Pennsylvania. As avid readers, genealogists, and skilled crafters, they performed much of the restoration work themselves. In 1992, their meticulous reconstruction of the property’s Historic Blacksmith Shop ruins earned them national architectural recognition.

During their 43 years in Pennsylvania, David and Marilou were active members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Solebury, where Marilou managed and helped organize the church’s successful Annual Christmas Cookie Bake Sale each year. David, an antique firearms collector since childhood, was an active member of the American Society of Arms Collectors for over 32 years and Marilou shared in this passion for the last two decades of their marriage. The Society’s Bi-annual Meetings throughout the United States became a source of travel, education, and lasting friendships. Blessed with a love for travel, they also enjoyed numerous trips to the British Isles and cherished a 21- year tradition of August family vacations on Block Island, Rhode Island.

Marilou was the bedrock of her family. Her enduring love and support fostered and maintained the exceptionally close bonds shared among her children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, David and their son, David Arnold Stewart, Jr.

She is survived by two of her children, Deborah (Gary) Weber of Bend, Oregon, and John (Elaine) Stewart of Clark Lake, Michigan, daughter-in-law, Wendy Stewart of Middlebury, Vermont; eight grandchildren: Jane (Casey Wright), Stewart Weber, David III (Haley), Nicholas Weber (Candace), Mary, Connor (Nicole), William (Ava), and Katherine (Chace) and 3 great-grandchildren, Oscar Stewart, Lena Stewart and Leo Stewart.

A graveside funeral service will be held at Glenwood Cemetery in Oneonta on July 11, 2026 at 2:00 pm officiated by Reverend Ivan Ruiz-Swartz of St. James Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends and relatives at the Oneonta Country Club following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the following organizations: Doctors Without Borders | donate.doctorswithoutborders.org or The Smile Train / www.smiletrain.org/donate/ways-donate

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to, www.lhpfuneralhome.com, Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Family Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY 13820.