Obituary of Leland R. Steward

STEWARD, Leland Ralph September 6, 1922 â€" November 24, 2011 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on November 24, 2011 after a short illness. Leland was born in Kuling, China to Albert and Celia Steward, Methodist missionaries. He grew up in Nanking, China and graduated from UC Berkeley where he met Beverly Kirk. They married September 12, 1944, in Rhode Island while Leland was serving in the United States Navy. He went on to serve during World War II in military government on Okinawa. He retired as a Commander in the Naval Reserve in 1966. After the war, Leland and Beverly moved to Santa Barbara in 1946. He was hired by Santa Barbara County as an engineer in the Road Department and was soon promoted to County Road Commissioner and remained in this capacity until his retirement in 1983. Leland was dedicated to his family and loved nurturing his children and their families. He and Beverly traveled world-wide and developed many lasting friendships. Leland enjoyed gardening and serving his church but his primary focus was as caregiver for his wife who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for most of their married life. One of the joys of his life was nurturing his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Leland is survived by Lynn Ebersole (Douglas), Kirk Steward (Kathy), Craig Steward (Maggie) and Zai Yang Li (Cathy). He was the proud grandfather of eight and great grandfather of nine. The family wishes to extend their deepest appreciation for the warm and loving care given to Leland by Dr. Michael Bernstein, Dr. Eric Schroeder and the wonderful staff on 5C at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. A private service will be held by the family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Parkinson Association of Santa Barbara, P.O. Box 6254, Santa Barbara, CA 93160.