David Stewart

David C. Stewart, 64, of Washington, D.C. died on February 23, 2016. He was born on January 31, 1952, in Brownsville, TN to Dr. David Earl and Mrs. Edna Earle Outlaw Stewart of Brownsville, TN. He is survived by his family, which includes his sister, Elise Stewart Mullikin of Brownsville, TN: niece, Elise Mullikin Gillespie of Brownsville, TN; nephew Stanley Vaughan Mullikin III and his wife, Stacy of Dallas, TX: great-nieces and nephews: Bo Gillespie, Stewart Gillespie, Vaughan Mullikin, Owen Mullikin, Lauren Mullikin and Kate Mullikin. As one who embodied a rare gift for maintaining close friendships that spanned decades, David is also survived by numerous friends whom he considered members of his extended family. He graduated from Memphis University School, in Memphis, TN, obtained a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Vanderbilt University and was subsequently awarded a M.B.A. from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, David was involved in the Young Republicans which was the beginning of an accomplished career that spanned 40 years in senior positions in Republican politics. In 1978, David moved to Washington where he held positions at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, served as Senior Vice President of CMDI, a Republican campaign finance services provider in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. While at CMDI, he worked for Senator Bob Dole's presidential campaign in 1996. David also worked for the National Republican Congressional Committee where directed many of the committee's national direct mail and telephone fundraising programs. He was a tireless worker, who was not only a supportive and generous mentor for the interns and employees whom he supervised, but was also considered a highly valued, respected and trusted colleague by his peers throughout a highly competitive profession. An adventurous traveler whose destinations spanned the globe and most of the United States over many decades, David deeply loved his native Tennessee, which included spending time at his vacation home on Pickwick Lake, his Southern heritage, the Republican Party and his adopted home of Washington. He was an avid reader who enjoyed a keen interest in history, architecture and historic preservation, music, film and theatre. He was a strong supporter of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and a founding patron of Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Perhaps David's most abiding characteristics were his charming personality, his loving and generous nature, unwavering honesty and his infectious sense of humor. His love of the absurd provided him the rare ability to find humor in nearly every situation, a quality that made him a joy to know and impossible to forget. Memorial Services will be conducted in Brownsville Baptist Church, Brownsville, TN on March 12, 2016 at 3:00 P.M. Visitation will begin at 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Lea and Simmons Funeral Home in charge. 731-772-8880 or leaandsimmons.com. Memorial donations may be made in the name of David C. Stewart to: Haywood County Humane Society, P.O. Box 565, Brownsville, TN 38012.