Dr. David Edward Stewart of Hope peacefully slipped the bonds of earthly life and entered his eternal home Thursday, April 4, 2024. He was born Oct. 2, 1944, in Hope, to George Clifton “Cliff” and Artie Mae Stewart. He married Cherry Anderson in 1964 and together they lived happily for over 60 years. He is best remembered for his service to several communities as a pharmacist, and as a photographer, artist, and his wife’s partner in Cherry’s, a celebrated Hope café in business from 1986 to 2006.
A graduate of Hope High School, David qualified for pharmacy school after only two years of college at Henderson State Teachers College (now HSU) and began his pharmacy education at the University of Arkansas the same year he married Cherry.
David graduated UofA Pharmacy School in 1968. His work history includes Cantrell Drugs in Little Rock, Ward Drug and Village Drug in Hope, Branch Hospital in Hope, and Medical Arts Pharmacy in Texarkana. He bought Hope’s Crescent Drug in 1975. After receiving his doctorate through the UofA, he sold Crescent Drug in 1986, moving straight into hospital pharmacy. He served as director of pharmacy at Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, worked at HealthSouth in Texarkana, the hospital in Hope, and then ended his pharmacy career back at the Nashville hospital.
A quiet and thoughtful man, David touched many lives through his professional career and through his love of photography and, late in life, painting. His photography was much in demand and he also taught photography at Red River Vo-Tech (now UAHT) in Hope. His exceptional artwork, with its rich color palette and imaginative characters, was celebrated by the Southwest Arkansas Arts Council with a one-man exhibit that ran the entire month of May 2023. His community affiliations included First Presbyterian Church of Hope, where he served as an Elder, and the Hope Kiwanis Club, as well as the Arts Council.
Predeceased by his parents and sister, Marian Stewart Harp, David is survived by his wife Cherry; his son Dr. Jason Stewart and wife Robyn, their daughters Bailey, Whitney, and Mallory, all of Sherwood; and by his nephews Bob Harp and wife Carol of Little Rock and Bill Harp and wife Gail of Fayetteville, along with their children and grandchildren. He is also survived by his rescued Norfolk terrier, Augustus McRae Stewart — “Gus” — a faithful friend and painting buddy.
A celebration of Dr. David Stewart’s life will be held at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, at First Presbyterian Church in Hope. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall, 3:30-4:30 p.m., and a private family interment will then take place.
The family would appreciate memorials given to First Presbyterian Church of Hope, Southwest Arkansas Arts Council, or to a charity of one’s choice.
