Bert E. Stewart

Bert Emanuel Stewart, 73, of Ithaca passed away at home on October 9th, 2026. He was born on November 6th, 1952 to the late Laura (Nobles) Stewart and the late Herbert Stewart of Groton where he subsequently grew up. He graduated from Groton High School in 1970 and shortly after he enlisted in the US Army and was stationed in Vietnam as a helicopter mechanic. After serving three years, he was honorably discharged when he began to attend Ithaca College for fine arts. After a few years he chose to focus on his career as a chef, working at a number of fine establishments around the Ithaca area till he met his wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991. They moved down to Charleston, South Carolina where they had their first child, Zoe, after a time they moved back up to the Ithaca area and had their second child, Lukas. Bert eventually settled, working in the kitchen at Kendal of Ithaca for roughly 29 years, retiring in November 2024. In the late 2010’s he got back into focusing on his artwork; visiting many art museums and painting and sketching many works that were both showcased at Kendal and then eventually gifted to friends and family.

He is survived by his wife Karen VanNederynen and his children Zoe Stewart and Lukas Stewart (Juniper). Bert had five siblings, the late Beverly Oakford Moore, Arnold Stewart (Becky), Opal Stewart, John Stewart (Cathy), Andrew Stewart and several nieces and nephews.

In his memory there will be a celebration of life on November 14th, 2026 from 2pm-5pm at the Masonic Hall in Groton, NY, where anyone is welcome to come and share stories about Bert.