Wilma Stewart, daughter of William and Minnie (Howard) Stewart, was born on February 28, 1910, in Morton Township, Iowa. Wilma passed away on Monday, July 17, 2006, at the Garden View Care Center in Shenandoah, Iowa at the age of 96.
She attended Centennial and Coal Valley County Schools and attended Shenandoah High School, graduating in 1928. Following her graduation she taught at La Prairie School in Washington Township for fifteen years (1928 - 1943).
During WWII (1943 - 1945) she was employed with Pratt-Whitney Aircraft and Remington Arms in Kansas City, Missouri. Wilma attended Dickenson Secretarial School and after completing the course, she taught Shorthand for five years at the school and then became a secretary at Continental Casualty Insurance Company.
Wilma went to San Francisco in 1953, working at the General Adjustment Bureau and the Di Giorgio Corporation for 20 years, retiring in 1975. Wilma returned to Shenandoah in 1984 and had lived at Autumn Park.
Preceding her in death were her parents, a sister Hazel Hurst and the brother Raymond Stewart. She is survived by niece, Kay Piburn and husband Don of Boulder, CO and their sons, Mike Piburn and wife Pat and their children Dan Piburn & Family and Doug Piburn & Family; Gregg and wife Sherrie and their children Alyse, Corlet and Bret Piburn; niece, Mary McQueen of Newton, Iowa; great nieces and nephews, Judie O'Connor and family of Newton, Brad and Cathy McQueen and family of Harlan, Roger and Julie McQueen and family of Shenandoah and Ron and Linda McQueen and family of Farragut, Iowa; cousin, Dwayne Johnson and wife Dorothy of Coin, IA as well as other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held Friday, July 21, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hackett-Livingston Funeral Home in Shenandoah. Words of comfort were given by Rev. Jim Gubser. Special music for the service was "In The Garden", "The Old Rugged Cross" and "The Lord's Prayer". Casket bearers were Mike Piburn, Gregg Piburn, Brad McQueen, Roger McQueen, Ron McQueen, Wayland McQueen, Ben McQueen and Becci McQueen. Honorary casket bearers were Don Piburn, Don Peterson, Tim O'Connor, Patrick O'Connor, Suzy Trotter, Jill O'Connor, Amy O'Connor/Hopkey, Bre McQueen, Kelly McQueen, Bailey McQueen and Betsy McQueen. Intermant was in Rose Hill Cemetery in Shenandoah, Iowa.