Lonnie Barnett Steward

Lonnie Barnett Steward was born in Canyon on December 2, 1948 to Elsie Barnett and Mary Estelle Steward.  He died November 7, 2018 in Fort Worth. Funeral Service:  2 p.m. Tuesday, November 13, 2018 in White’s Chapel of Memories, 130 Houston Ave., Weatherford  76086Interment:  Memory Gardens of the Valley, 5600 Mineral Wells Hwy., Weatherford  76088Visitation:  6 to 8 p.m. Monday at White’s Funeral Home, Weatherford. Survivors: Wife of 47 years, Karen; two sons, Jeremy Steward of Weatherford, and Jamie Steward (Monica) of Weatherford; two daughters, Melissa (Wes) Tettleton, of Weatherford, and Miranda Steward of Weatherford; eight grandchildren, Caleb, Taylor, Thomas, Mazie, Ashtyn, Jake, Presley, and Jaxon; one brother, Terry Steward of Amarillo; and one sister, Judy Steward of Amarillo. As a young man, Lonnie Steward was a carpenter, building houses in Amarillo, and New Mexico. He married Karen King, of Seymour in 1971 and the couple made their home in Amarillo. In 1978, the couple and their four children moved to Seymour, where Mr. Steward resumed his home building business. After the devastating tornado in Wichita Falls in April of 1979, the Steward’s gathered a truckload of donations from local businesses and delivered them to the Assembly of God church where many displaced people had gathered. Weeks later, the Steward’s moved to Wichita Falls and Mr. Steward put together a construction crew and began rebuilding homes in the devastated region. It was during this time that Mr. Steward would make the most important decision of his life when, at that same Assembly of God church, he would dedicate his life to Christ. Always a dreamer, incredibly driven and insanely optimistic, Mr. Steward was an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. Well aware that one cannot go anywhere in life with limited resources, he quickly grasped God’s word and the many promises within. He began to ask God to open doors that no man could close, to guide his footsteps and direct him in the path that God would lead him. He fully understood and joyfully accepted his role as the leader of his family, provider and protector. He was keenly aware that he was a role model for his children and he instructed from a deep place of devoted love and gratitude. In short, his greatest desire was to be the best husband, Dad, and Gramps that he could possibly be. And, he was. In the early 80’s, Mr. Steward ventured into many business deals which often led to success, but also failures. He was tried and tested beyond what some might be able to endure, but his optimism never wavered. He believed that failures are gained knowledge and one must utilize that knowledge in a forward motion. Every loss only caused him to reach higher. He thought nothing of jumping into unknown territory and figuring it out along the way. In the late 80’s, he ventured into commercial construction and finally found his niche. From restaurants, banks, to medical facilities and c-stores, Mr. Steward (and family) built a company, Steward Builders, that continues on today. He would tell anyone, however, that the greatest success in life was his family. In his own words, before his death he wrote: “God has blessed me more in this life than I could’ve ever imagined. I want to tell my family one last time how much they mean to me. They made my life rich and full of blessings and I love them so much. I truly thank all my friends for being there and giving so much support when I couldn’t give anything in return. To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for what He has done for me…I am so blessed.”