It is with a heavy heart that the family announces the passing of Donna Stone Stewart on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Born in 1948, in Mt. Sterling, she was the daughter of the late Betty Ginter and Edgar Stone. She graduated from Mt. Sterling City School before beginning work at Blue Grass Army Depot. Some time later she transferred to the VA Hospital in Lexington, starting in the warehouse and working her way up to supply chief after a transfer to the VA in Jackson, Miss. She retired after a 26 year career of serving our veterans. It was in Jackson where she met the love of her life, it was to a mutual feeling, while attending country-western dance lessons. Jim Stewart was taking the same lessons and asked her to dance with him. One dance led to many over the next three years before they married and started a life of dancing, travel, genealogy research, bird watching and raising horses together. She converted Jim into an avid UK Wildcat fan, like her. In the family, she was known as the genealogist. Her years of work traced the Stone, Ginter and Hatton families back to their roots in Europe. While the Stone research will remain with a surviving member of the family, the Ginter and Hatton research will be placed in a public institution where it will be available to the public. She was very proud of her Kentucky roots. Following a short period of retirement in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, she and Jim moved to Kentucky to be near her mother as she aged, spending many years on their horse farm in Sharpsburg. They moved to her hometown of Mt. Sterling in later years to be near health facilities as they aged and battled various diseases. Parkinson’s disease took a terrible toll on her over her last years, but she fought it gamely.
Survivors include her husband of 34 years; two sons, James R. Clark Jr. (Courtney) and Jay Henry Clark (Lisa), both of Lexington. Her one grandson, James R. Clark III of Lexington survives his proud grandmother. In addition, she leaves behind two step children, Christina Stewart Chaudhuri (Rai) of Denver, Colo. and Patrick Stewart (Linda) of Cooper, Texas. She was a fond grandmother to her step granddaughter, Bela Chaudhuri of Boulder, Colo., that survives her. In addition to her immediate family, there is a shrinking group of first cousins and friends that she loved like immediate family. She is also survived by two special friends from high school, Pat Fessler and Barbara Niswonger, who never stopped calling to check on her.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by numerous relatives in Mt. Sterling.
She and Jim are very grateful to the caretakers, home health workers and hospice workers that helped care for her the last part of her life. A very special health care provider, Julia Maness of Mt. Sterling Clinic, has their gratitude for her support and many home visits.
Public visitation was held 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Taul Funeral Home. Private burial was in Machpelah Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers the family requests you make a donation to your favorite charity in Donna’s name.
