Kurt D. Stewart

Kurt D. Stewart, 70, of Frankfort, KS, died October 22, 2024, at Community Memorial Healthcare in Marysville, KS.

Visitation will Friday, November 1, from 3-7 p.m. at Padden Funeral Chapel in Frankfort.  The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 2, at the First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort.  Pastor Shannon Borgman, Alice King and Marilyn Sweet will officiate the service.  Skip McMillan will play the organ while Sally McMillan sings.  Music will include "God of the Sparrow", "Nearer My God to Thee", "On Eagle's Wings" and "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

Private family burial will be in the Frankfort Cemetery.

Kurt was born on September 19, 1954, to Tracy and Verneil (Doty) Stewart in Lincoln, NE. He graduated from Frankfort High School in 1972 and then attended North Central Kansas Area Vocational-Technical School in Beloit, KS.

On June 3, 1978, Kurt was united in marriage to Kathleen Schwarz at the First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort. They moved to Alexandria, NE, in 1982, where they raised their kids, and returned to Frankfort in 2008. 

For 41 years, Kurt worked in the signal department as a maintainer and as a foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad. Upon retiring on October 1, 2014, he continued his life’s passion of farming. For many years in Alexandria, Kurt was a volunteer EMT and volunteer firefighter; he also served as the fire chief there. After returning to Frankfort, Kurt served as an elder at the First Presbyterian Church and was a member of the Frankfort Cemetery Board, belonged to the Sons of the American Legion Post 181, and was a proud organ donor.

Kurt enjoyed farming, raising cattle, camping, and helping people any way he could. While their kids were growing up, Kurt and his wife Katie enjoyed helping with youth activities such as coaching little league baseball, being a leader for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and organizing community activities. Kurt liked taking ATV trips, canoeing, hand fishing, and participating in local community theater. He also enjoyed building various mechanical items for working “smarter not harder”, for which the designs were always in his head and seldom on paper. Kurt loved being a grandpa and taking his grandkids for gator and tractor rides. Family was very important to Kurt; he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend to many.

Preceding him in death are his father, Tracy Stewart; brother-in-law, Allen Buck Schwarz; and parents-in-law, Earl and Alma Schwarz.

Survivors include his wife Kathleen; children James (Jacquie) Stewart of Syracuse, NE, Benjamin Stewart of Houston, TX, and Emily (Jason) Buddenberg of Palmyra, NE; mother Verneil Stewart of Frankfort, KS; brother Rod (Kathy) Stewart of Frankfort, KS; sister Janine (Tim) Haughton of Pickrell, NE; sister-in-law Mary Jane Al-Jaberi of Lincoln, NE; and grandchildren Makenzie and Maryn Stewart, and Alex, Sabrina, and Scarlett Buddenberg.

A memorial fund has been established and funds will be divided between the Frankfort EMT squad and the Frankfort Cemetery Board. Contributions may be sent in care of Padden Funeral Chapel, c/o Kinsley Mortuary, PO Box 147, Marysville, KS 66508.