George Karl Stewart, Sr.

PORTAGE – George Karl Stewart, Sr., age 81, passed away on August 6, 2020, at home. He was born on December 26, 1938, in Fond du Lac, the youngest of four children to Clarence and Alma Stewart.

George and the former Donna Kassner were married for almost 60 years.  They were married on September 10, 1960, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Portage, where he was a life-long member.

He graduated in 1957 from Portage High School and attended Luther College for one year before embarking on his working career. His first full-time job was with Gamble Stores, the company where his father had worked for over 40 years. The majority of George’s working years were as a salesman at Hill Ford in Portage. He retired from Ad-Lit Distributing, Wisconsin Dells, in 2004.

Foremost among his various interests was his love of music. He played cornet from an early age to the first college year where he was honored to have played with the Luther College Concert Band. He directed the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Choir for over 20 years. He was also the initial director of the “Gale Singers”, the Portage area’s community chorus.

George is survived by his wife, Donna; his son, Karl (Bonnie); granddaughter, Kallee; sister-in-law, Loida Stewart;  sisters-in-law, Kathy (Stan) Vinge and Karen (Jerry) Wielgus; cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Melvin and Lee; and a sister, Betty.

Private Funeral Services will be held at Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage on Saturday, September 12, 2020, with the Rev. Jen Johnson officiating and will be able to be viewed at https://youtu.be/UADQuAcZH4A. . Visitation will be held at the funeral home from  12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. In order to maintain social distancing standards, 50 people at a time will be allowed inside the funeral home, masks are required, and will be provided if necessary. Private burial services will be held at a later date at Shanks Cemetery in Caledonia Township.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, W8267 Hwy. 33E, Portage, WI  53901 or Agrace Foundation, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI  53711.

A special thank you to the staff at Agrace Hospice, especially Jordon and Chris.

Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage is assisting the family.