James M. Stewart (1942-2015) James M. Stewart (Jim), age 73, passed away peacefully the morning of November 21st at Skagit Valley Hospital after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  Jim was born on June 12th, 1942 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada to Murray Webster Stewart and Evelyn Ethel Simons.  He spent his early years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he was active in Pee Wee hockey.  The family moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he attended high school and was one of Calgary's top junior golfers.  After high school Jim moved to Ames, Iowa, where members of his extended family lived.  While there he was drafted into the United States Air Force and was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana.  During his time in the service, he played on the golf team at the base and also played hockey for the Bombers, a team in the Great Falls Electric City Hockey Association.  He received the Strategic Air Command Educational Achievement Award for continuing his education and completing two years of college credits.  After his discharge from the service, he attended the University of Puget Sound (UPS) where he met his future wife, Ann Schneider.  While at UPS, he was affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and played on the golf team.  After graduation from UPS in 1967, Ann and Jim were married and moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Jim attended the American Institute for Foreign Trade and became a proud American citizen.  Jim was then hired by Dun and Bradstreet in New York, where he and Ann lived for one year before being transferred to Paris, France.  They spent a wonderful two and a half years in Paris getting to know the beautiful city, learning the language, and taking advantage of the museums without crowds.  They acquired a taste for fine wine and food, and developed lasting relationships with their French friends.  Upon returning to the States in 1971, Jim was employed by Seattle First National Bank, where he began his long career in banking and held several senior management positions.  Jim and Ann moved to Bellevue, Washington, where their son Jeffrey and daughter Elizabeth were born.  In 1975 Jim received a Master of Business Administration degree from Seattle University.  In addition, he was a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School and the School for International Banking.  Jim joined the International Division of Seafirst Bank and handled the business relationships with Canada, where he traveled to Toronto and Montreal.  In 1976 he was sent to manage the Vancouver, B.C. office for two and half years.  The family had a delightful experience living in Vancouver, making new friends while spending time hiking and skiing. In 1979 the family moved to Mount Vernon and Jim became the first President of the former Valley Bank.  One year later, Jim and Ann's daughter Laura was born.  After 3 years with Valley Bank, Jim returned to Seafirst and was transferred to Vancouver B.C. for one more year.  Finally, the family moved back to Mount Vernon where they settled permanently.  Jim continued his banking career at Seafirst where he was the California Banking correspondent.  He spent many hours on the I-5 corridor commuting from Mount Vernon to Seattle.  In 1990, he took a leave of absence from banking and commuted to Austin, Texas for two weeks at a time.  There he worked as a consultant helping to develop processing plants for Beef Products Inc., a large company in the beef industry.  When Bank of America acquired Seafirst, Jim worked for several years at Frontier Bank as a Vice President and Senior Relationship officer in Bellingham.  His last ten years of banking were at Whidbey Island Bank, where he served as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Skagit and Island Counties.  He retired from banking at age 70 in 2012.  Throughout his banking career, he treasured the friendships he made and the relationships he built with his customers in commercial banking.  The family reaped the benefits of Jim's nomadic banking career as Ann and his children were able to meet him for a few days of sightseeing in many interesting cities.  Jim was an active member in the community.  He was a long time member of Skagit Golf and Country Club where he served on the board and one year as president.  He was very involved in the Skagit Rotary Club and was a board member of the Rotary Foundation.  He was president of Rotary from 2008 to 2009.  Jim served on the Mount Vernon Planning Commission from 1985-1991.  He was also on the Finance Committee at Skagit Valley Hospital until recently, when poor health forced him to resign.  Jim was a great supporter of youth programs and volunteered his time as a coach for his children's athletic endeavors.  Jim loved playing golf and one of his dreams was realized when he had the opportunity to attend the Masters Golf tournament at Augusta in 2013 with his son Jeff.  Jim and Ann enjoyed traveling, spending time on the East Coast and visiting New York, one of their favorite cities.  They made several trips to Paris throughout the years, as well.  After his retirement, they finally ventured west to Hawaii and enjoyed three trips there before he was no longer able to travel.  Jim was a devoted family man who wholeheartedly supported his children in their extracurricular activities as well as educational pursuits.  He adored his grandchildren, taking great pleasure spending time with them and watching them develop.  Their special hugs gave him much comfort during his illness.  "Papa" will be greatly missed by his little 'critters', by his loving family and those whose lives he touched.  Jim is survived by his loving wife Ann, his son Jeffrey Stewart (Stacy) of Stanwood, his daughter Elizabeth Pelland (Kurt) of Mount Vernon, his daughter Laura Stewart (Brad) of Seattle; his six grandchildren, Sabrina, Samantha, Sarah Stewart; Halle, Brayden and Addison Pelland; and his one brother Jerry Stewart (Romanie) of Okanagan Falls, B.C.  He was preceded in death by his parents.  The family would like to thank Dr. Henning Pforte and Dr. George Gjerset for their care of Jim during his bout with cancer.  The family also appreciates the caregivers at Life Care Center for their loving care of Jim, as well as the Palliative Care Team at Skagit Valley Hospital for their compassion.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (www.fredhutch.org) or the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation (www.skagitregoinalhealth.org). A memorial Mass will be held Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 at 2:30pm at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Mount Vernon.  Immediately following the service, a reception and celebration of life will be held at Skagit Golf and Country Club.