Im Memoriam: Mary Greene Stewart

Mary Greene Stewart died peacefully at her riverfront farm in California, KY March 30, 2009. Mary is survived by her husband, Richard, son Joel Michael and five grandchildren: Harlequin, Morpheus, Blaise, Roman and Sterling. Also surviving Mary are brother's Gordon C. Greene, Tom Greene II and sister Letha Jane Greene. A Memorial will be held on Friday April 3rd 6:00PM. For details see the obituary at steamboats.org message board.


Mary Greene Steward in 2005, riding the BARBARA H. at the Kentucky River Ramble. (Picture courtesy of John Mullen.)

Memorial for Mary Greene (by Richard Stewart)

Mary Cavendish Greene was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 26, 1933. She was the first of four children born to Captain Tomas R. Greene and Letha Cavendish Greene.
Mary lived on the steamboat TOM GREENE for the first two years of her life. Upon the birth of her oldest brother Gordon, the Greenes moved their household 'up the bank' to East Walnut Hills. Although the Greene residence was in Cincinnati, Mary and her brothers Gordon and Tom, and sister Jane spent much time riding the family steamboats. Beginning with the CHRIS GREENE and TOM GREENE, then the GORDON C. GREENE and finally the DELTA QUEEN, Mary's life was a childhood fantasy. Under the tutelage of her grandmother Captain Mary B. Greene (one of the very few women steamboat captains) Mary learned the grace and finesse of entertaining passengers on these luxurious inland steamers. When Mary was only 5 years old, Captain Tom would stand her on a chair and she would croon 'When I Grow too Old to Dream.'
Mary grew to appreciate academics and flourished at Withrow high school. When she asked her Latin teacher why the school had an extracurricular Latin Club, but not one for Greek?, the teacher replied, 'Why don't you start one?' That's exactly what Mary did.
Her love for classic languages as well as her love for liturgical vocals and music led her to an appreciation of the Bible. This love motivated her to enroll at Wooster Presbyterian College. Then she transferred to the University of Cincinnati and after being inducted as a scholar into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, she graduated. However, at those institutions, she found the Bible was assailed as fantasy, falsehood and outright foolishness. Having sung in choir and in acapella ensembles for 14 years in Christ Episcopal Church in Cincinnati and Knox Presbyterian Church in Hyde Park for four years she learned to love Scripture. Yet, frequent discussions with ministers, pastors and priests about Bible doctrine and truth, left her spiritual thirst unquenched.
In 1958 Mary met two women who while having merely a modest secular education, were able to answer directly from the Bible many of her perplexing questions. For instance, Mary wondered why a God of love would torture people eternally after they died? Or why should this beautiful earth be destroyed by fire? Or, if God has a name, what is it, and why doesn't anyone use it? When these humble ladies gave satisfying answers to Mary's inquiries…it was as if 'scales fell from her eyes.' She had found the "truth."
After two years of intense Bible study, Mary dedicated her life to Jehovah God and was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. This dedication brought many changes to Mary's life.
As Vice President of Greene Line Steamers she still worked as a full time crewmember on the DELTA QUEEN. Drawing from the experience learned from her gracious mother Letha Greene and grandmother Captain Mary B. she was competent to serve as Cruise Director. She was vocalist for evening entertainment and worked days as Assistant Purser and manager of the Gift Shop.
Mary's free time while the boat was moored in the various river towns was devoted to house to house witnessing or attending meetings at the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses. She also conducted Bible studies with many of the crewmembers. In 1964 Mary explained the Bible truths to Assistant Purser Richard Stewart. Soon he too dedicated himself to Jehovah and was baptized.
Richard and Mary were married the following year and served together on the DELTA QUEEN, just as her parents and grandparents did. The next year Mary stayed home to expand her share in the ministry. Later when Richard left the boat to join Mary, they made their home in Kenwood, Ohio. At their quaint little Cape Cod home Mary tended her square-foot garden, attracted and fed wildlife and relished her used-brick New Orleans style patio. Much to the delight of their neighbors Mary and Richard would spend summer evening hours playing music and singing on their pleasant little patio paradise. Mary would play the autoharp and Richard would play the dulcimer.
In August of 1968 their marriage was blessed with a son named Joel Michael Stewart. He too shared in the spiritual activities of his parents. He has his mother's love for academics, becoming a computer instructor and administrator at Blue Mountain School in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Like his father, Joel had a penchant for mechanics and construction. When they built their log house in California, Kentucky he did all of the plumbing and electrical work, not to mention much of the carpentry and masonry work.
In 1976 Mary and Richard opened the 'Captive Rainbow' stained glass studio. At their downtown Cincinnati location they created stained glass lamps and windows and taught classed. In 1979 they completely restored the rotunda in the historic 1904 Carnegie Library in Covington, Kentucky.
In the spring of 1988 Mary and Richard moved to a farm in California, Kentucky. Their farm has a riverfront beach nearly a thousand feet long, a large Indian mound, a tobacco barn, creek and 10 acres of tillable bottom land. To make their paradise complete, Mary, Richard and Joel disassembled log-by-log an antebellum log home in Falmouth, Kentucky. This they moved to their farm and reassembled exactly as it was originally built. There they reside until present with an array of dogs, cats, ducks and geese.
When Richard met Mary he was curious about a phrase she had handwritten in the front of her Bible…'Jehovah Jireh.' When he asked what it meant she replied, 'Jehovah will provide.' He certainly has, in the most gracious and abundant way!
Whenever Mary would perform publicly she would always dedicate the song "Always" to Richard because she knew it was his favorite.
I'll be loving you always
With a love that's true always
When the things you plan
Need a helping hand,
I will understand, always, always.
He enjoyed it so much because it precisely expressed how Mary supported all his endeavors, be it the Christian ministry, creating with stained glass or moving a log house.
As Mary sleeps in death (in her one last nap before she wakes in paradise) her name is indelibly written in 'Jehovah's book of remembrance. We should not say 'good bye' to her. But, more appropriately say as do the Germans, 'Auf Wiedersehen'…"To seeing of you again."