Olive Branch - Joe Kelley Stewart, age 85, passed away Monday, November 11, 2013. Born January 28, 1928, in Troy, Mississippi, he was the son of Kelley and Lottie Rose Stewart. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1945 until 1947. He was married to the love of his life, Mary Frances Jolly, for 61 years until the Lord took her home in 2008. In the 1950''s, he drove a stock car named "Mr. B." for 10 years at Riverside Motor Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. He established Joe Stewart Body Shop in 1969, and his legacy of excellence in automotive repair continues through his shop''s service and reputation in the mid-south today. Joe Kelley is survived by 3 of 5 children: Mary Rose (Kevin) Hendrix, Lawrence Kelley (Paulette) Stewart, and Melanye Yvonne (Donnie) Jarnagin; 9 of 10 grandchildren: Kelley, Chris, Lawrence Kelley Jr., Dalynn, Georgia, Jesse, Jedediah, Jonas, and Joel; and 17 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by 2 children: Joe Kelley Jr. and Brenda Jo Stewart; and granddaughter Lillian Yvonne Stewart. Joe was a teacher at heart, whether he was teaching his children how to live a life of integrity, teaching his grandchildren how to work hard without complaint, or teaching young men how to provide excellence in the automotive repair industry. The Lord used his giving heart to help many people in need as well as many young men in the ministry and seminary. Being part of a generation who never used the word "quit", he was tough in his work ethic and a man of integrity. His last and probably greatest work on earth was taking care of his wife and daughter as they both endured years of illness. He would be the first to say he didn''t deserve the gift of eternal life but was thankful to embrace the mercy and grace offered to him through Jesus, his Savior. Psalm 51, John 15:7. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at Longview Heights Baptist Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi at 2 p.m.. Burial will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown in Memphis, Tennessee. Friends may visit with the family Thursday from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lillian Stewart Memorial Fund or the Longview Heights Baptist Church Building Fund.
Forest Hill Midtown 901-775-0310