Dr. Patricia M. Stewart

Dr. Patricia M. Stewart passed away on December 18, 2025, at the age of 96, surrounded by family, neighbors, and friends in Savannah, Georgia, where she had made her home since 1994. She once described herself as having evolved from a family of nurturing women into “a life of belonging and a sense of mattering” into justice work. Her commitment to social justice shaped her life as a former public-school teacher, university professor, psychologist, and school/clinical counselor. She served as a senior vice president for social service organizations and as a diversity professional, community activist, and consultant for community, governmental and religious boards and commissions both in Akron, Ohio and in Savannah, Georgia. A devout woman of faith, she belonged to the Arlington Church of God before moving to Georgia. An active member of the Savannah community as a grandmother, senior league tennis player, visionary thinker, and public policy advocate for wellness and mental health across the lifespan, she was recognized on her 90th birthday as one of Georgia’s Outstanding Citizens.

Dr. Stewart once described herself as “a womanist who loves purple.” She was known as a stylish fashionista who even enjoyed being a model in her senior years. She loved the arts. Her home was almost a kind of art gallery, decorated with African and African American fine art, and various kinds of artifacts collected from her travels. One of the highlights of her life was attending the Toni Morrison Society Biennial Conference in Paris where she met the Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison in person and co-facilitated a multicultural dialogue with international scholars. Dr. Stewart was an avid reader, who loved to journal, write poetry, and discuss ideas about theology, education, public policy, and wellbeing. She loved to ask questions and to inspire others to think about her questions, their own questions, and the implications of their stories and their actions. She hated pretense and she led a life of curiosity, always interested in learning from others, regardless of their backgrounds. Her curiosity and genuine interest in others made her want to know about their stories and ask them how they made meaning of their narratives. From the educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, she borrowed the practice of “making the road while walking” as a way of learning from everyone she met. She remained a lifelong learner and mentor/teacher until the very last days of her life. A woman of faith and prayer, she loved the song, “Yes, Jesus Loves Me,” and as an activist, she tried to model the life of Jesus by the way she treated people with kindness and empathy from all walks of life. Wherever she found herself, she embodied love.

Dr. Stewart was born prematurely and lived a long, productive, phenomenal life. She earned her undergraduate degree at Virginia State University. She spent the first part of her adult life in Ohio, where she earned her master’s degree in school psychology and her PhD in Education at the University of Akron. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, she was active in the Akron community until she moved to Georgia. In Savannah, she became an active member of Asbury Memorial Church, where she attended even after her health declined. She was preceded in death by her parents, Walker Boyd Metheuse and Margaret Foster Metheuse, her sister, Barbara Ann Metheuse Witherspoon, her firstborn son, Dr. Ernest M. Stewart, and her former husband, Dr. Ernest I. Stewart of Akron. She is survived by her son, Dr. Mark I. Stewart, her beloved two grandchildren, Sydney and Taylor, and a host of godchildren, sister friends, brother friends, family friends, and neighbors who knew and loved her dearly.

Dr. Stewart played an activist role in the coalition movement to rename Taylor Square as the first public square in Savannah to be named after a woman or African American. To honor Dr. Stewart’s commitment to the community, to racial justice, and to the renaming of the public square after the legendary educator, nurse and author, a scholarship has been established in Dr. Stewart’s name at the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee. A memorial service will be held to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Stewart at a later date in Savannah, Georgia.