Perry Morton Stewart
- Published: August 27, 2026
Perry Morton Stewart, 93, passed away peacefully on Aug. 9, 2026, at Friends Care Community in Yellow Springs.
A native of Yellow Springs, Perry was born Aug. 10, 1932, to Russell and Margaret (Sawyer) Stewart. When ready for elementary school, Perry was enrolled at the private Antioch School, but after a couple of years decided that he would prefer the public school, so he walked over and enrolled himself. Perry continued in the public school system, graduating from Yellow Springs High School in 1950.
Perry earned a degree in economics at Duke University (1950–1954) and was an avid Duke basketball fan ever since. While at Duke, Perry met his lifelong good friend, Tal Smith. They were the broadcasting team at the campus radio station, WDBS, for four years, covering the university’s baseball and basketball games, even traveling to away games. To earn the money to defray gas and other travel expenses, Perry had to agree to do on-air commercials for cigarettes, a staple of the Durham area economy. Tal was the play-by-play man with Perry providing color. They also hosted a sports show.
Upon graduation Perry enrolled at the University of Michigan, completing a master’s in economics in 1955. He was drafted into the Navy in 1955 and honorably discharged in 1957. He served as quartermaster, third class, on the USS Windham Bay. He volunteered for the quartermaster job so he could be above deck in the open air. This position gave him his lifelong love of weather and navigation and taught him to be exceedingly precise. He loved to keep exact time on his watches and clocks at home and would tune in monthly to the U.S. Naval official time clock and recalibrate all his devices accordingly (or dispose of the ones that weren’t accurate).
While in the Navy, Perry married Virginia (Ginny) Finley on July 13, 1956, and had their first daughter, Lisa, who was born in Oakland, California in 1957, joining her older brother, Ed, Ginny’s son, whom Perry adopted. After his stint in the Navy, Perry and his family returned to Yellow Springs. Perry and Ginny became the parents of two more children, Tracy (1958) and Ross (1959). Their marriage ended in divorce in 1963.
Perry worked at Miami Deposit Bank, where his father, Russell, was president, and which had been founded by his grandfather Perry M. Stewart II in 1903. Perry worked in various capacities and was named bank president in 1974, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. After his bank retirement, Perry established a financial advisory practice, offering his services to many Yellow Springs institutions, organizations and individuals.
Retirement from the bank gave Perry time to work alongside his friend Tal Smith again. Tal had a career in baseball management and had started a consulting firm, Tal Smith Enterprises. They represented major league teams in the salary arbitration process, meticulously collecting and analyzing data to prepare the teams’ cases. Perry’s involvement continued for eight years and was one of the highlights of his life.
Perry was community minded and set high standards for participation. He was one of the original four founders of the Yellow Springs Community Foundation, which has been vital to village life since 1974. He volunteered for over 40 years for the YSCF, providing local knowledge and financial acumen. He was an active member of Yellow Springs Presbyterian Church. He also served on the Glen Forest Cemetery Association, the Baseball America Foundation and the United States Baseball Federation, acting as treasurer or financial advisor.
Perry was the consummate sports fan and was a Cincinnati Reds season-ticket holder for many years. He also played tennis “with the boys,” a local crew of tennis aficionados, every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon for many years. Perry was a devoted father to his four children who have fond memories of their annual beach vacations to southern California. He taught them how to be on time, save their money, and gave lessons on how the sun’s angle changed directions with the seasons. He was a gentleman in all aspects and never said an unkind word about anyone.
He had a long-term caring relationship of over 30 years with JoAnn (Fischi) Mahle (deceased), of Yellow Springs. They spent many years enjoying their Florida condo, trips to the Amish country, dinners out and quiet evenings together.
Perry is survived by his children Lisa Stewart (Stephen Pine), of Manzanita, Oregon; Tracy Stewart, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and her two children; and Ross Stewart (Ewanda), of Jamestown, Ohio, and his two children. He also is survived by three great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Edward (Janet Montecalvo), and a sister, Ann Diehl.
The family expresses special thanks to the kind and caring staff at Friends Care Community.
A celebration of life will be planned at a later date. At Perry’s request there will be no funeral services.
Donations in Perry’s honor can be made to the Yellow Springs Community Foundation general operations fund, yscf.org.
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