Theresa Stewart, 88, died on September 10 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was taken to the hospital from her assisted-living facility in Santa Monica after an apparent stroke the day before.
Her Palisades neighbor on El Medio, Jeff Fellenzer, wrote: “Theresa, or ‘Mother Theresa’ as we called her, or ‘Toots’ as others called her, was a truly remarkable person with a force-of-nature will, who touched so many lives. She was one of those points of light that helps hold a neighborhood together, and was a true pillar of the community.
“If something was slightly off on our block, she would be the first to make sure it was corrected or the right person was notified. She loved to bring people together, had a hardy smile and laugh, and made every day brighter and better. For me she was a combination mother, best friend and confidant, who was always there when I needed her.”
Fellenzer continued, “Louie Zamperini, Mr. Unbroken, always says his generation isn’t really ‘The Greatest Generation,’ but the hardiest generation. That was Theresa Stewart, friend to young and old alike, from students at Palisades High School, to the local bus drivers who took her wherever she needed to go, to the guys at Fire Station 69, who treated her like royalty and often took her for rides. They blasted the fire engine horn whenever they passed by her house.
“She drove her car for many years, then walked into the Village when she couldn’t drive any more. Even in her early 80s, she was mowing her front lawn with a push mower.”
Stewart was born February 25, 1925 in White Plains, New York. Her family moved to Santa Monica in 1936. She graduated from Santa Monica High and worked during World War II at a ceramics pottery factory. Her daughter, Debra, said that Stewart kept some of the whimsical figurines that she made during that time at her home.
In 1945, Theresa married Charles W. Stewart, whom she met through his mother who also worked at the ceramic factory. He had served in the Army, going ashore in Normandy, and received a Purple Heart.
The Stewarts moved to their Palisades home, which was on the street above the former Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher ranch, now the site of Palisades High. After the couple adopted Debra in 1961, Theresa devoted her time solely to her child, who graduated from Pali in 1978 and then received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA.
Stewart was described by many as a behind-the-scenes person. Her daughter remembers that during the Vietnam War, Stewart packed cookies to send to servicemen. She would also go door-to-door to collect for the March of Dimes and was always available any time a school needed a volunteer.
“She was a mother figure to lots of kids in the neighborhood,” Debra said. “She was well-loved. She organized games and even took kids roller-skating.”
Stewart was predeceased by her husband (1998) and two brothers, Lewis and Ernest Ferrini. She is survived by her daughter, Debra Hauser, who is a consultant and grant writer in Omaha, Nebraska; son-in-law Jeffrey Hauser, an associate professor of classical and Near Eastern Studies and philosophy and director of the undergraduate honors program at Creighton University; and their children, Jonathan and Alex.
A celebration of Stewart’s life will be held at 4 p.m. on October 18 at the Palisades Presbyterian Church, 15821 Sunset. The community is invited.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Palisades High School Booster Club (P.O. Box 223, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 or visit:palihighboosterclub.com), the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund (P.O. Box 41903, L.A. 90041) or the Palisades Presbyterian Church.
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