Ian passed away peacefully on Sunday, the 22nd of February 2026, at the age of 78 at the Ottawa Civic Hospital after complications from a fall. Ian was married to the love of his life Catherine (nee Charbonneau) for 56 years and was the loving father of John Stewart (Kellie), and Andrea (Almir) Puglia, and proud grandpa and pancake making partner of Jacob, Brooke, and Alyson. Ian is remembered by sister Cathy Thomas, sister-in-law Suzanne & Tony Malloy, sister-in-law Janie Charbonneau, brother-in-law Martin (Rose) Flood, nieces and nephews, and many close friends. He is predeceased by his parents John and Gladys (nee Smith) Stewart and by sister Flora Manuel.
After graduating from Engineering at Carleton University, Ian began his career in construction. From road construction with Beaver Road Builders and JL Richards, Ian moved on to be a Superintendent for Campeau building Les Terraces de la Chaudière. Next, Ian and family moved west to Alberta to work as a project manager on the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Building in Edmonton with PCL Construction and started several lifelong friendships there. After Edmonton, the family moved north to Yellowknife where he completed projects across the north. Alberta and the NWT filled a place in his soul of experiencing the prairies and the North. From Yellowknife they moved back to Ontario, and he led projects such as the Palladium for the Ottawa Senators, the Air Canada Centre, the Fallsview Casino, and Atlantis Phase III in the Bahamas.
Ian and Catherine returned home to Ottawa in 2012 to be with their children during retirement. Spending time at both their home in Ottawa and at their cottage on Allumette Island, Ian enjoyed reading, photography, golfing, curling, boating, made time for world travel as well as ongoing projects as an OMP&T – but mostly enjoyed the time spent with family and friends. He will be remembered for his depth of knowledge, his endless caring, his generous sharing, and his witty repartee.
‘If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well’ he would often say, and he applied this to every aspect of his life.
https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/kelly-barrhaven/obituaries/ian-ross-stewart/156586.html
