Bonham, Texas -- Gordon “Lee” Stuart was born in Lamesa, Texas on January 1, 1951 and was reunited with his parents and his older brother, Jim, in heaven on August 23, 2025.
Lee was the 3rd and most willful child of Cecil “Spud” Stuart and Marie Billingsley Stuart, joining older siblings Jane and Jim. He was raised to be a proud and determined man, a consummate west Texan with both grit and grace. To his kids, he was a larger-than-life southern gentleman and a tireless provider. He valued time spent around the dinner table gathered to share good food, great stories and hearty laughter. He was quick to laugh and saw humor in most things.
Lee was a talented craftsman and could fix anything. He built furniture, turned treasures on the lathe, threw pottery and designed and renovated endlessly. Every place Lee lived had meticulously maintained landscapes. At the end of every workday, his first stop was out to the yard to pull a few weeds or to water.
Late in life Lee designed their dream home, complete with “Lake Stuart” with great plans for a putting green and a replica of Amen Corner where he was already growing azaleas. Lee’s happy place was on his tractor, clearing brush, digging stumps or mowing. He loved his Mahindra and even became one of their magazine cover stories.
Lee had an impeccable work ethic, always with endless projects to tackle; he couldn’t stand “burning daylight” and kept a never-ending to-do list to the very end. From an early age he was gainfully employed in a myriad jobs, each one producing hilarious and outlandish stories. A few included paper routes, work in the cotton gin and hog pens, pumping gas and driving tractors and delivery trucks.
Lee often spoke of the paper route years when he was 9 or 10 and saved his money to earn a down payment on a Cushman scooter and then dutifully made the weekly payments on the remainder. This was the first step in a lifetime of fiscal responsibility. He took great pride in ensuring the checkbook always reconciled down to the penny, just like his father.
He attended Texas Tech University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. During this time, he bartended at the Elks Lodge where he worked for a pretty girl named Janet Carpenter. After graduation and a wedding, Lee and Janet moved to Marshalltown, Iowa where he started a 30-year career with Fisher Controls, later acquired by Emerson Electric. His career with Fisher later led the family to the Dallas area.
During these years, Lee and Janet were blessed with a son, Jeffrey Kyle Stuart, and a daughter, Tracy Marie Stuart. He imparted great skills and character in both his kids. He parented with tough love, often with unique lessons and funny consequences, though the humor wasn’t recognized until much later! As life progressed, Lee and Janet parted ways but remained dear friends for the rest of his life, continuing to share laughs, hugs and reminisces until the very end.
In later years, Lee met another pretty girl at work and in 1995 married Maylene Hatfield Norman. Together with her daughters, Amy Michelle Norman, and Brooke Ashley Norman, they created a blended family of all four kids. Amy and Brooke often speak of the amazing model of love and commitment they got to witness between the two.
Lee was a quiet believer in Christ who preferred to worship in nature but was willing to follow the traditions of his family. He was raised in the First Christian Church in Lamesa where he accepted Christ and was baptized as a young man. He believed the sacrament of communion was important and after attending Disciples of Christ churches in McKinney and Plano, he was happy to find that the Presbyterian Church also valued this tradition.
First Presbyterian Church in Bonham soon became Lee and Maylene’s church home and they became an active part of the congregation, serving as treasurers, delivering Meals on Wheels and serving on the Building and Grounds committee.
Lee greatly admired his dad, describing his father as having the perfect combination of light-heartedness, quick wit and gregariousness. Those who knew Lee would describe him as having these same endearing qualities. In fact, Lee had an incredible sense of humor that wasn’t always seen by people he didn’t know well but to his family he was the master of the “tail pull” or teasing. If you tried it back on him, he would proclaim “That’s a bite!” He had his own special little way of talking he called “Stuartese.” He would say, “hoeys and smacks” for hugs and kisses, or “nitto” for his cats or really anything small in size. You get the picture. Many of these quirky but treasured sayings will live on.
The heart of Lee’s life was his family. He cherished his children and grandchildren and loved them quietly but fiercely. He was immensely proud of the life and family he created. To his kids, he became a wise counselor and friend and to his grandkids a sweet and silly Dobbie.
Lee will be greatly missed by many but especially by his wife of 30 years, Lydia (Maylene) Stuart, his son, Jeff Stuart and his wife Marissa, daughters Tracy Gray and her husband Nick, Amy Guernsey and her husband Mark, and Brooke Davis and her husband Cotton. Also, his sister, Jane Stuart, his first wife, Janet Stuart, and grandchildren Zoe Stuart, Hannah Stuart, Harper Stuart, Ella Gray, Gideon Guernsey, JoAnna Guernsey, Isaac Guernsey, Ruth Ann Guernsey, Obadiah Guernsey, Caldwell Davis, Marigold Davis and Bingham Davis.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the First Presbyterian Church Buildings and Grounds fund or the American Cancer Society. A service celebrating Lee’s life will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at the First Presbyterian Church in Bonham, Texas followed by a reception time to visit with the family.
