Barbara Opal Viviene Stewart

At 3:38 a.m. on Friday, October 19, 2018, our beloved daughter, sister, niece, aunt and friend, Barbara Opal Viviene Stewart, exited on the journey to her real home. Born in Manchester, Jamaica, Barbara was raised under the loving care of her maternal grandmother, the late Ivy Stewart, aunt and uncle Cherrie and Osbert Neufville along with her “sister- cousins”, Dianne and Cheryl. As a young girl, Barbara dreamed of becoming a nurse and fulfilled that dream when she received the Diploma in Nursing from the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Pace University in New York City; a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was a PhD candidate in Nursing Education at Barry University, Florida. Barbara was passionate about nursing and dedicated her life to helping others. She had an extraordinary 30-year career which included all facets of nursing: from Clinic Manager, Nursing Director, Nurse Manager and Administrative Supervisor to Transplant Coordinator and Lecturer. Barbara excelled: both as a student and as a teacher, serving as a part-time lecturer at Rutgers State University in New Jersey where she taught Health Assessment and took nursing students through medical and surgical clinical rotations. Barbara Stewart was characterized by her commitment to discipleship, made evident by a warm, compassionate heart, generous spirit, willingness to serve, great sense of humor and infectious smile. Her large number of godchildren, her adoring nieces and nephews (biological and adopted), her well-kept fish-pond, ever-flourishing garden and indoor plants (especially her legendary collection of beautiful African violets) are indisputable testimony to the fact that children, animals and flowers had a special place in Barbara’s heart. Having lived in Jamaica, worked and studied in Britain and the United States, Barbara had a yen for international travel, adventure and exploration. She is survived by mother Aneita (Eamonn) McMahon, father Wilbert (Thelma) Stewart, sisters Ella, Gillian, brothers, Byron, Anthony, William, her aunts Lauren Baines, Edna Robinson, Esmie Cerat, Cherrie Neufville, J. Pamela Williams, Dr. Levine Morgan, Ena Morgan, Elnore Groomes, her uncles, Solomon Morgan, Hector Morgan, Clive Stewart and many cousins, nieces and nephews. NO FLOWERS PLEASE, instead, donations will be accepted for the Barbara Stewart Scholarship Fund for a Nursing student attending the University of the West Indies School of Nursing.

Barbara Opal Viviene Stewart

October 8, 1962 - October 19, 2018