Mary Stewart loved her Indians
Jun. 27—NORWALK — Mary Stewart lived her life to the fullest.
From covering the Cleveland Indians in 1948 to all of the great things she did in later life in and around Norwalk, Stewart has left her mark on this earth.
Stewart died on June 21 at The Gilbert Residence in Ypsilanti, Mich.
She was born in Cleveland Dec. 21, 1917, and was a 1934 graduate of Norwalk High School.
She worked on the editorial staff of the Cleveland News daily. On Sept. 23, 1948, she became the first woman to report on a big-league baseball game, the Cleveland Indians vs. the Boston Red Sox, in their climb to winning the World Series the following month.
In 2010, the Norwalk Reflector named her Citizen of the Year. On her 100th birthday in 2017, Norwalk Mayor Rob Duncan declared Dec. 21 as Mary Stewart Day.
Her full obituary appeared in Monday's Norwalk Reflector.
"She is a Norwalk icon," said longtime friend John Schumm. "She was such a well-rounded woman. She was a pioneer for her time. To think she was a sports correspondent ... how remarkable is this? She has strong Norwalk and Huron County roots."
Stewart and Schumm worked together on many projects over the years with the Firelands Historical Society.
"She did so much. Her knowledge of Norwalk history was just flawless," Schumm said. "She came back her for high school after her family moved to Cleveland. I would work with her on many projects. We put together many house tours for the historical society.
"The little vignette she would write for each house were priceless," he added. "Every event I would put together I would go to Mary, Jan Conway and Bobbi Freeman. One time I helped her with an architectural tour of the St. Paul Episcopal Church.
"Her knowledge of Norwalk ... the social history and political history ... was flawless. She did not take sides in political events. She never got involved in some of the nastiness that went on.
"I will miss here. Mary was my dear friend. I would visit her often at the Carriage House. I will always cherish my memories of her."
If you talk about history in Norwalk and Huron County, you have to mention Henry Timman, who wrote a column for the Norwalk Reflector for more than 40 years. Timman and Stewart were very good friends.
"She was faithful to everything she did," Timman said. "She was a good friend and did a lot for the community. She was a very good person. She was only 16 1/2 when she graduated. She was very intelligent.
"All of the different things she belonged to and participated in, Mary Stewart was all about Norwalk. She was devoted to the historical society and especially the Episcopal Church. And there were many goodwill things she did helping people out."
Calling hours will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Walker-Eastman-Heydinger Funeral Home, 98 W. Main St., in Norwalk.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Paul Episcopal Church. Internment will be at 3 p.m. in Mansfield City Cemetery.
